


The Return of Ultrawoman

by AXEe



Series: Ultrawoman [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Aliens, Alternate History, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-09-22 21:32:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 30,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9626195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: In 1939, an alien spaceship crashed on the outskirts of the American city of Blue Harbor, Washington.  The ship's lone occupant was an alien woman, J'or'Da'an, the last survivor of Mars.  Taken in by a kind family. the Ellis', the woman--now known as 'Jordan Ellis'--would soon reveal herself to world at large, using her alien powers to lead the Allies to victory over the Axis Powers in World War II, but was unable to stop the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Hailed as an otherworldly savior, Jordan--christened as 'Ultrawoman' by the press--would go onto become our greatest protector.Until she disappearedFollowing the outbreak of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, Jordan forcibly ended the crisis by removing the missile instillations from both Cuba and Turkey.  Realizing that she had overstepped her bounds, she disappeared, her last recorded public act was saving President Kennedy from an assassination attempt in Dallas, Texas.Now, the world needs her more than ever





	1. Prologue

******

Mars. The Red Planet. Once, over three hundred years ago, it was a vibrant world known as 'Armus', populated by a peaceful race of scientists, each gifted with incredible powers derived from the Sun's rays, but Mars was soon destroyed by a race the natives only called 'Wraiths', no one knew why they attacked, why they killed, perhaps that was their only reason, to kill.

The Martians, known in their own tongue as the 'Hasha'han', fought back, having once been warriors themselves. But it was all in vain, the Wraiths overwhelmed, slaughtering them by the thousands, until the sands ran red with blood. Only one Martian survived, a woman named 'J'or'Da'an'. Escaping in a single-occupant pod, she fled her home, avoiding the Martians final, desperate, bid for victory, a weapon known as the 'Scouring' a device that obliterated all organic matter on the planet, killing both Wraith and Martian alike in a cleansing wave of fire.

The pod carrying the lone J'or'Da'an soon drifted into an anomaly known as the 'Well of Dreams', a place where the passage of time meant nothing, emerging three hundred years later in the Earth year of 1939, crashing onto Earth.

Discovered by a young couple, the Ellis', she was taken in by them. The Ellis' treated her like she was their own daughter, raising her alongside their own daughter, Kate. In time, J'or'Da'an--now calling herself 'Jordan Ellis'--would soon reveal herself to the world, using her incredible array of extraterrestrial powers to save hundreds during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and earning herself the name 'Ultrawoman', earning herself a reputation for a fierce fighting spirit and an overwhelming, motherly compassion for the weak and helpless, causing some to call her 'Mother Mars'.

It was with her help the Allies soon achieved a victory over Nazi Germany, and Adolf Hitler was brought before the World Court to stand trail for his crimes, and with his execution and the public's adoration of Ultrawoman, it seemed as if a post-war golden age was soon to come

But it was not to be...


	2. The Fall of Ultrawoman

******

**U.S. Naval blockade fleet off the coast of Cuba  
1962…**

It was a bright, clear morning on the _USS Charles Hadley_ as radar officer Lt. Ernie Warren came on duty. Despite the sunny morning he knew that it wouldn’t be an easy day, since JFK had ordered the naval ‘quarantine’ of Cuba a few weeks ago, his job—along with every other radar officer in the fleet—was to monitor the screen and alert the captain if ships or planes entered the area. So far, only a few Soviet cargo ships had been intercepted.

So far.

At that moment a blip appeared on the screen, sitting up straighter, Ernie quickly called the captain

“Report” the captain barked out as he came onto the bridge

“Small object closing in fast, sir” Ernie reported

“Point of origin?” the captain asked

“That’s just it, sir,” Ernie shrugged “it’s coming from the U.S.”

“What?” the captain leaned over his shoulder and peered at the screen “it’s small,” he noted quietly “very small, much too small to be a jet. Unless…” there was a distant, high-pitched, almost-musical _hum_ and a bright streak of red light shot over the fleet at nearly the speed of sound, leaving a shockwave in its wake that rocked the _Hadley_ from side to side

“What the hell was that?!” someone demanded

“ _Ultrawoman_ ” the captain whispered as he watched the red streak barrel towards the Cuban mainland…

******

High above the fleet, Ultrawoman entered Cuban airspace. On the ground, Soviet radar tracking picked up her arrival and immediately ordered the antiaircraft batteries to open fire, the batteries erupted to life, large-caliber bullets striking and harmlessly bouncing off the Martian skin without effect. Twisting in the air, she easily dodged the bullets with a grace and ease that was unmatched by any aircraft that Earth could currently build.

Gliding to a stop as easily as most humans would walk through a doorway, she hovered over one of the Soviet missile instillations, gently gliding down to the ground to land softly on her feet. For a moment she simply stood there as Soviet and Cuban soldiers swiftly surrounded her, weapons drawn. Standing at just under six feet tall in height with a lithe leonine build, with long curly jet black hair, and eyes a shade of blue unknown to Earth, she cut an imposing image, only made even more impressive by the deep blue, formfitting suit she was wearing.

Made of a chainmail-like mesh and possessing a long, flowing red crimson cape, the suit made her look…otherworldly, enhancing her alien nature, and by the way that many of guns trembled in their holders hands, it was clear that the soldiers knew that. As a Martian, Ultrawoman’s powers came from the rays of the sun, her body absorbed the sun’s rays to fuel her fantastic powers, as long as she was exposed to sunlight, no bullet could pierce her skin, she could lift great weights, fly, run at speeds faster than a racecar, project devastating beams of heat from her eyes or hands, change her outward appearance, and even read minds to a certain extent

[You have unlawfully entered Cuban airspace,] one solider boldly proclaimed in Spanish [leave or we will fire!] he added

“I suppose it’s too late for me to say I come in peace?” Ultrawoman wondered in English as she slowly held up her hands

“You are not welcome here, American!” one Soviet soldier proclaimed in accented English

“I’m not human, so technically, I’m not an American,” she countered “I’m here to ask you to remove the missiles from this island”

“Nyiet” was the response from the Soviet soldiers, Ultrawoman sighed

“Please, there’s no need for bloodshed, we can end this peacefully,” she offered, the same solider barked out a command in Russian, the soldiers raised their guns and opened fire, the bullets ricocheting off the Martian’s skin, as the gunfire died down, Ultrawoman sighed as the solider barked for his men to reload “fine, have it your way” in a blur of speed she charged forward, knocking aside soldiers like toys as she easily punched a hole into a nearby tank before wrapping her arms around the barrel and ripping it clean off. With that done she flew up into the air and then dove straight down, tunneling into the earth.

[Where is she?!] one soldier demanded in the sudden silence that followed. The earth suddenly shook, trembled, and shuddered, cracks began to splinter along the ground, one part of the perimeter fence fell over with a great crash as a violent rumbling sound rippled up from the ground as the entire instillation suddenly erupted out of the ground, moving, lifting, _flying_ , being actually carried by Ultrawoman up above the island and out to sea.

It was only as the new miniature island came to a rest on the water that Ultrawoman realized her mistake

She’d gone too far, used her powers to interfere with the natural order of things, escalated and worsened a crisis best resolved by politicians and diplomats, Kennedy had been right when her told her to let him handle it, his way, peacefully, not through a show of strength or force, but through mediation and compromise.

As she remained there, floating above the rapidly sinking instillation, she knew that there was only one thing she could do now…

******

“ _News bulletin! Ultrawoman disappears,_ ” the radios and televisions announced a few days later “ _in the wake of her surprising actions in Cuba, the Maiden from Mars has not been seen, government officals in both Washington and Moscow refuse to speculate on her disappearance and can only speculate as to why she has suddenly vanished. Meanwhile, thousands the world over are wondering where has Mother Mars gone?_ ”


	3. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our choices can have consequences...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's an update to The Return of Ultrawoman, I want to thank polybi, writerstealth, and saint21 for leaving kudos, special thanks must go out to polybi for commenting and for giving me a history lesson, I hope that you enjoy this update.
> 
> Now, before we began here's a list of things you will NOT be seeing in here
> 
> 1\. No teenaged sidekicks  
> 2\. No magic, all the bad guys/good guys will get their powers from science/aliens/mutations/etc  
> 3\. Not everyone who knows our hero will end up putting on a superhero costume themselves (I'm looking at you James Olsen/Guardian on Supegirl)  
> 4\. No 'pretty young people', in other words no one here will look like they just walked off a runway because REAL PEOPLE DO NOT LOOK LIKE THAT!!!  
> 5\. While our hero will have problems, they will NOT be about who's dating who!
> 
> I think that's it, and for now ONWARDS!!

******

**Blue Harbor, Washington  
The present**

The bus lurched as it stopped at the next stop, Dr, Jordan Ellis (MD) grunted as she stumbled forward, gripping the handrail tighter. She sighed as she readjusted her glasses as she shifted sideways to allow another passenger squeeze past her to try and find a seat. She could get a car she mused as the bus started up again, as a doctor she earned enough money to buy at least a used car, but she never learned how to drive, why bother when you could run faster than most NASCAR racers. She could always fly to work, but that would’ve left a rather obvious streak of red light in the sky, and besides it would have been too short a trip, she liked having time to think, to reflect on her life, on the choices she’d made.

After that whole snafu in Cuba—in which nearly made matters worse, as the Soviets viewed Ultrawoman’s actions a direct attack by the U.S. until President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev reached a compromise—she had thought that saving Kennedy’s life would be a good thing, one final victory to be remembered for before she disappeared from the public eye. Instead all she had done was cause Kennedy to be paralyzed from the waist down, she hadn’t been fast enough, she couldn’t catch the bullet, all she did was knock it off course, so instead of striking JFK in the head, it struck him in the neck, paralyzing him. To make matters worse, they never caught the shooter, they never found out who pulled the trigger that day.

In the wake of the shooting, Kennedy remained in the hospital in a coma, as a result, his VP Lyndon B Johnson was elected interim president and, without Ultrawoman’s or Kennedy’s guidance, had gone ahead with the plan to invade Vietnam, spawning one of the worst wars in recent memory, which in turn had spawned the counterculture movement and the free love movements. There were some good points, though, Johnson had, after a time, signed the Civil Rights Act into law, granting African-Americans equal rights as citizens, but not before the death of hundreds of innocent people after Dr. King’s march on Washington was attacked by white supremacists, resulting in one of the largest riots in American history, before Dr. King managed to finally calm the crowd.

Dr. King himself would narrowly avoid a sniper’s bullet and would go on to become the first black President of the United States, earning a rare landslide victory, due in part, some said, to his actions at calming the riot in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

As for Ultrawoman herself she retired, partly because she was forced to, the governments of both the U.S, and the USSR officially declared her to be persona non grata after her actions in Cuba, with the Soviets going the extra step of publicly announcing that if she was seen flying over Soviet airspace—or the airspace of any of the Eastern Bloc nations—she would be immediately be shot down. Due to the constant ‘threat’ of Ultrawoman hanging over their heads, the Soviet government began to embrace more democratic processes, finally culminating in the opening of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany in 1989 under the new Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. Despite an attempted coup in 1991, the Soviet Union, led by now President Gorbachev, had endured to the present day, albeit with a much more relaxed government.

With Ultrawoman gone a few people had tried to fill her shoes, but sadly most of these people were nothing more than vigilantes in colorful costumes, and the few who were actually trying to help largely failed due to lacking any powers themselves.

The bus jerked to a stop, breaking Jordan out of her thoughts, straightening her jacket and glasses, she got off and jogged up the driveway to her destination, Blue Harbor General Hospital. Since retiring from superheroics, she had since went back to school and got a degree in medicine, reasoning that she could still help people in some way and retain her anonymity. So far it had worked, a few people had recognized her, but even then most of them had ignored it and left her be, respecting her desire for peace and quiet

******

“Good morning, Dr. Ellis” the nurse greeted as Jordan signed in

“Morning, Suzy, everything go OK last night?” the nurse smiled

“A few bumps and scrapes from a bar fight last night, but nothing serious,” Suzy replied “oh, your niece called, she says her flight will be in sometime this afternoon and she still wants to do a story on the hospital” Jordan sighed

“You think she’d have more important things to do,” she complained “after all, she’s the youngest editor-in-chief in the _Tribune’s_ history,” Suzy just shrugged “call Jill back, tell her I’ll met with her on my lunch break,” Suzy nodded “now, who’s up first?”

“Room Three, little girl with a broken arm” Suzy explained, Jordan nodded and quickly made her way to Room Three

“Hello,” she gently pulled back the curtain “I’m Dr. Ellis,” the little girl looked to be about five or six. She was quite calm as she sat on the gurney, idly kicking her legs while cradling her injured arm “what’s your name?” Jordan asked

“Katie” Jordan smiled

“That’s my sister’s name,” she replied, she glanced down at Katie’s chart and looked up at the frantic woman standing nearby—presumably Katie’s mother “so, what happened here?” Jordan asked

“She was trying to fly” the mother huffed as she continued pacing back and forth

“Trying to fly?” Jordan asked, smiling at Katie “how were you going to do that?”

“She tied a sheet around her neck and jumped off the stairs” Katie’s mother huffed, looking even more frantic, Katie, however, beamed proudly as Jordan examined her x-rays, unlike certain comic book aliens, Jordan had no x-ray vision

“Well, this doesn’t look to bad,” she announced as she peered at the x-ray “it’s only a hairline fracture, we can patch that up easily,” she explained, she leaned out the door and called for Suzy, asking her to bring some plaster and wrappings for a cast “so,” Jordan began, turning back to Katie “why were you trying to fly?”

“’Cause I wanna be like Ultrawoman!” she explained, eyes bright, Jordan chuckled

“Aren’t you a little young to remember her?” she wondered, Katie shook her head emphatically

“My grandpa told me ‘bout her,” she explained “he says that she was the bestest’s person ever!”

“The bestest’s, huh?” Jordan laughed, Katie nodded

“Uh-huh, he says that she saved lots and lots of people,” she continued “but then she went away” Katie pouted

“Sometimes people have to go away” Jordan explained softly

“But why did _she_ go?” Katie wondered, and Jordan found herself wondering just that

“I don’t know,” she finally admitted “I really don’t”

“Doctor?” Jordan blinked and looked over to see Suzy standing in the doorway holding out the casting supplies

“OK!” she grinned at Katie “let’s get this arm fixed up”

******

“…and remember,” Jordan said firmly as Katie and her mother signed out “Ultrawoman can fly, you can’t, OK?” Katie nodded

“OK” she said, waving at her as her mother led her down the hall

“Cute kid,” Suzy commented, she frowned when Jordan didn’t answer “you OK, Doc?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry Suzy, I was…somewhere else,” Jordan shook herself off, frowning as she thought on how Katie’s face had fallen when she mentioned that Ultrawoman had gone away “hey, Suzy?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember Ultrawoman?” Suzy chuckled

“Not personally, no, but I remember hearing my parents talk about her all the time”

“What’d they think of her?” Suzy shrugged

“I dunno, I suppose they were a bit…awed, you know? I mean Ultrawoman was the first real proof we had that aliens existed, and then you add how she helped win World War II…,” she trailed off, frowning at Jordan “why do you ask?”

“That little girl, Katie,” Jordan nodded in the direction that Katie and her mother had gone “she broke her arm because she was trying to fly like Ultrawoman,” she explained “got me thinking how much of an impression she left”

“Yeah, until that whole mess in Cuba,” Suzy muttered “not mention poor Kennedy”

“Hey, Suze,” Jordan began “what would you do if she came back?”

“What, you mean like right now? Right this second?” Jordan shrugged

“Right now, tomorrow, doesn’t matter” Suzy frowned, sensing that this was a serious question that deserved a serious answered

“I don’t know,” she finally admitted “I mean, I guess I’d be a little bit scared and a little bit happy, you know, I mean let’s be honest here, Doc, if she ever went rouge, I don’t think anybody could stop her…but, I think I probably be happy that she was helping us again,” she frowned at Jordan “you _sure_ you’re OK, Jordan?” she asked, Jordan chuckled

“I’m fine, Suzy,” she plucked the next chart out of the file holder “let’s see who’s up next”

But for the rest of the day she couldn’t get little Katie’s words out of her head

‘ _why did_ she _have to go?’_


	4. Actions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jordan muses on her actions as Ultrawoman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, here's an update to The Return of Ultrawoman, hope everybody enjoys. Now before we began, here's a list of Ultrawoman's powers
> 
> 1.The usual Superman fair of speed, strength, flight, and invulnerability  
> 2\. Telepathy  
> 3\. Shapeshiting
> 
> Now, here's a list of what she CAN'T do
> 
> She CANNOT shapeshift into something smaller than herself, so she can't turn into rat for example, she can grow bigger, but not like Godzilla sized, she can't change into anything that isn't alive, so she can only become animals, real or not, but they have to be animals
> 
> She CANNOT fly in space, she needs gravity to push off, and she needs oxygen to breath just like we do
> 
> She DOES NOT have x-ray vision, but instead can 'see' transmissions like from cell phones, TVs and radios, she doesn't even need a TV at home, she can just 'tune' in to whatever she wants to see, as well as the 'auras' that surround living creatures like people or animals. She doesn't have 'heat vision' but can channel energy from her eyes or hands or even from her entire body in one big blast. Her telepathy is limited to touch, meaning that she has to be in physical contact with someone in order to read her mind
> 
> Anyone who has an idea for a kryptonite-type weakness, let me know, but for now, ONWARDS!!!

******

**Blue Haven Retirement Home**

Jordan sighed as she knocked on the door in front of her, there was a click and the door opened, a white-haired old woman leaning out to peer up at her

“Hmm,” she grunted “funny, I have a sister who looks like you” Jordan sighed and rolled her eyes

“Hello to you too, Kate,” she grumbled as she slipped past her sister and into the small apartment “have you ever bothered to redecorate this place?” she wondered as Kate shut the door “people don’t use gramophones anymore” behind her Kate chuckled

“I remember when you first came to live with us,” she began as she sat down in a big, plushy armchair “I couldn’t believe that a thirty-something woman didn’t know what a light bulb was” Jordan chuckled

“Imagine how I felt. A ten year old child knew more than I did” Kate sighed

“Not that I’m complaining, Jo, but what brings you by?” Jordan sighed as she sat down

“There was a little girl at the hospital today,” she began “she broke her arm because she was trying to fly, like Ultrawoman” she explained, Kate nodded slowly

“Go on” she encouraged

“That’s it,” Jordan explained “she couldn’t have been older than five or six, Kate, but, even she remembered Ultrawoman, she said that her grandfather had told her about her, that she was ‘bestet’s’,” she chuckled “you should have seen her face, Kate,” she sighed “she looked _so_ sad when she mentioned that Ultrawoman’s gone”

“You could always bring her back” Kate suggested, Jordan shook her head

“People don’t want her around anymore, not after Cuba, not after Dallas”

“Oh, quite moaning about that!” Kara exclaimed “damn it, Jordan! Almost no one _remembers_ that anymore! And the ones who do are probably older than I am!” she took a breath “Jordan, the _governments_ don’t want you around, but your average Joe does, hell he _needs_ you. Look at what happened after you hung up your cape; Vietnam, Kennedy, the D.C. Riot, Watergate, _9/11_ , Jordan, do you know how many lives could have been saved if you’d been around when the Towers fell?” she sighed “I know you’re scared of making a mistake like you did in Cuba and in Dallas, but if one little girl has got you so worked up, maybe it’s because you know that you want to come back, that you _need_ to”

A long moment of silence passed between the two sisters before Jordan finally sighed as she glanced at her watch

“I need to go,” she mumbled “I’m meeting Jill for lunch”

“That’s another thing,” Kate called out as Jordan went to open the door “what good does is it do keeping her in the dark about who you really are?” she wondered “you should know by now that she’d never publish anything about it” she pointed

“Why don’t you tell her then?” Jordan suggested as she pulled open the door “she’s your daughter” Kate chuckled

“It’s not my secret to tell, it’s _yours_ ” she explained

******

“Aunt Jordan!” Jordan looked up, waving at her niece as she jogged down the hall

“There you are!” Jordan laughed as she stood up, pulling her niece into a hug “I thought your flight was supposed to be here until after noon”

“Ah, I caught an earlier flight” Jill explained as she sat down

“Well, you could’ve told me,” Jordan replied as she joined Jill “we could’ve met at somewhere else besides the hospital cafeteria”

“Oh, come on,” Jill rolled her eyes “this is perfect!” she exclaimed exuberantly “an inside look _‘do doctors eat better than patients?’_ , ‘is hospital food really as bad as people say it is?’” Jordan laughed

“Remind me how old you are again” Jill snorted

“Forty” she replied, a complete and total lie

“ _Right_ ” Jordan laughed, she leaned forward “you also wouldn’t have just _happened_ to have timed your return flight with the start up of that new particle reactor that King Technologies is building on Kent Island, right? Oh, no, that would be just pure coincidence” Jill laughed

“OK, you got me!” she said “but, honestly, Aunt Jordan, I really did miss being here,” she admitted “Blue Harbor is my home after all”

“I know,” Jordan nodded, she glanced at her watch “well, we’ve got at least twelve hours until your precious reactor station goes on-line. What’d you say we go out on the town?”

“Sounds fun,” Jill grinned “I hear the Ultrawoman Museum has a new exhibit opening today,” she said as they stood up “supposed to be about her role in the war” she continued, Jordan frowned

“Sounds interesting,” she finally said, shoving down her memories of that war and the war that cost her own planet “let’s go. You’re driving” Jill rolled her eyes

“You still don’t know how to drive?” she exclaimed

“Who needs to drive here? We’ve got the best, most reliable public transit system on the West Coast” Jordan exclaimed

******

**Ultrawoman Museum**

The Ultrawoman Museum was located in the heart of Blue Harbor’s financial district. After Ultrawoman appeared and made Blue Harbor her ‘home base’ as it were, the city had scrambled to find a way to honor her, first by building a statue in her honor in the city square (which Jordan always thought made her look a pirate, since the statue had a bald eagle perched on its arm) and, later, by building the museum after the war. The museum was a large white building built the Neo-classical style, standing outside the building was a smaller, life-sized version of the statue in the square atop a pedestal with the words ‘OUR SAVIOR’ carved on it.

Jordan glowered at said statue as she and Jill climbed out of the car

“Hey look,” Jill pointed up at the sky, tracing a bright moving object “it’s Captain Dynamic” she exclaimed. Out of all the heroes who had stepped to try and fill Ultrawoman’s shoes, the man who called himself ‘Captain Dynamic’ was the most successful, thanks in part to a special, high-tech suit of powered armor he wore that granted him flight, speed, strength and durability similar to—though not exactly like—Ultrawoman.

Jordan’s glower deepened when she saw the distant streak of red and blue

“I met him once, at a hospital fundraiser” she explained

“And?” Jill wondered

“He’s got about as much personality as a brick and the brains to match,” Jordan answered bluntly “he also spent half the time he was there either talking about himself or hitting on woman in the room”

“Really?” Jill moaned, at Jordan’s nod she scowled herself “damn, there goes the fantasy” she muttered as they paid for their tickets

“Don’t tell me that you’re actually _attracted_ to that dim-witted, womanizing asshole?” Jordan demanded

“I was, until I found out that he was a dim-witted, womanizing asshole” Jill answered as they paused in the main lobby of the Museum. The Museum was filled with almost everything you could find about Ultrawoman, from rare photographs taken on the day she first appeared back in 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to letters written by soldiers she saved during the war itself, to rare, declassified Soviet footage of her final act in Cuba, as well as mockups of what scientists thought Mars must have looked like before the rest of her people had been wiped out (they were pretty close, Jordan thought, Mars hadn’t been quite that lush and green, but it was close). There were also graphs and diagrams and other papers detailing how scientists thought Ultrawoman’s powers worked.

Among these treasured items were other, more silly things, trading cards with her picture on them, comic books, and other novelty items (Jordan was still puzzling over how her face ended up on a box of Wheates) when Jill tugged her arm, happily dragging her aunt towards the newest exhibit, and Jordan had to laugh at her niece’s child-like antics, still amazed that a woman her age (well past forty) could have risen to become the youngest editor-in-chief of the _Blue Harbor Tribune_ and yet still act like such a _kid_ at times

“Slow down!” she laughed “it’s not going anywhere anytime soon!”

“Ha! That’s what you think,” Jill exclaimed “they’re moving it to Hawaii as part of the memorial in Pearl Harbor next month” she explained

“Well, why didn’t you go see it sooner?” Jordan asked as they pushed their way through the crowd. Jill grinned

“Because I wanted to see it with you” she exclaimed as she pulled Jordan through the crowd. The new exhibit had several aspects, including video clips of Ultrawoman’s wartime exploits

“ _Following her actions in Pearl Harbor,_ ” the narration was saying “ _the newly christened ‘Ultrawoman’ was taken in by Army personnel for questioning, where she was interviewed by America’s top people, including President Roosevelt. Following this secret meeting, the President meet with Congress and asked for a declaration of war upon Japan, which was quickly granted in light of the sudden and brutal attack on U.S. territory. During this meeting, the President also publicly introduced the mysterious individual who had single handedly taken out several Japanese fighters to members of Congress, explaining that she was an American citizen and that she was an extraterrestrial. Given the field rank of ‘captain’, and clad in her signature Martian armor, Ultrawoman led a diverse combat unit, the 42nd Attack Squadron, better known to the public as the ‘Ultramarines’, the Ultramarines were one of the first racially integrated and co-ed units in the U.S. Army, being made up of both African-Americans and women,_ ” a montage of images from the war featuring Ultrawoman flashed by on the screen “ _although Ultrawoman was hailed as a hero by the government,_ ” the narration continued “ _many ordinary citizens feared her, terrified at the thought of what a being with her powers could do if left unchecked, and numerous protests were held around the country, with the protesters demanding that Ultrawoman be either taken off the front lines, or even locked up for study. Even today, a recent poll showed that at least fifty out of one hundred people would be afraid if she ever returned…_ ”

******

After touring the rest of the museum (which was pretty boring in Jordan’s opinion), she and Jill actually went out to lunch, since Jordan wasn’t on call today she could take the rest of the day off and both of them soon ended up eating sandwiches in the city’s park

“Aunt Jordan,” Jill began “you OK?” Jordan frowned, idly munching on her sandwich with little enthusiasm

“Just…out of sorts, Jill” she said finally, in truth she was wondering about her actions during the war, had she been right to intervene in Pearl Harbor? To reveal herself to the world at large? To go on and continue to intervene in the rest of the war? Affecting the balance of power?

“Anything I can do to help?” Jill wondered, Jordan shook her head as she balled up the wrapper her sandwich had been in and it tossed away in a nearby recycling can, stuffing the rest of her sandwich into her mouth in one big bite

“Come on,” she said, standing up “I’m sure you need to get back to work”

“Probably,” Jill sighed “the _Tribune_ will probably burst into flames if I’m not there to smell the smoke” Jordan chuckled

“Probably” she agreed as they rounded a corner, winding their way along a walkway to the street, both jerking to a stop as two men, one holding a gun, suddenly leapt out of the bushes

“Purses! Hand ‘em over!” the gunman ordered

“Easy,” Jordan said gently, slowly raising her hands “there’s no need for violence,” she nudged Jill behind her, Jordan was bulletproof, Jill wasn’t “we don’t have any money” she told the would-be-muggers, they both looked strung out, hands shaking and trembling, sweat pouring down their foreheads, their eyes were wide and bloodshot, Jordan saw those symptoms several times a week, they were all the classic signs of someone coming down off a high, the two men were probably hooked on whatever new drug that was flooding the streets lately and were now desperate to buy their next fix

“Don’t lie to me, bitch!!!” the gunman roared, his gun hand shaking harder “just gimme the bags!”

“Look at me,” Jordan implored “you both need help,” she held out a hand “just put down the gun”

“Don’t come any closer!” he raised the gun and fired, probably not meaning to actually shoot either of them, but just trying to prove he was serious.

“Get down!” Jordan shoved Jill to the side as the bullet arched forward, striking Jordan in the shoulder, harmlessly bouncing off solar-irradiated Martian skin. The gunman fired a second time, then a third, pulling the trigger in rapid-succession, emptying the entire clip at Jordan, staring in shook as the bullets tore through her shirt but otherwise left her unharmed. The other mugger lunged for Jill, a knife in his hand “ ** _LEAVE HER ALONE!!_** ” Jordan roared as she reached for him, a crackling, fire-like, haze enveloping her body, spreading out from the center of her body, radiating out to her limbs, changing her, transforming her as it did, her clothes ripping and tearing as she grew larger. By the time she’d hoisted the two thugs off the ground she’d changed into something large and reptilian, something that looked Velociraptor but with the size of a gorilla and the quills of a porcupine.

“WHAT IS IT!!!????” one of the thieves screamed as the Martian gripped them both, one in each hand, and shook them hard, opening her newly widened jaw to reveal a set of sharp teeth, before summarily dropping the two thieves. As soon as they hit the ground, they both scrambled to their feet, running away as fast as they could. Sighing, Jordan willed herself to change back, another crackling wave of energy enveloping her as she changed back to normal. She glanced over at Jill, who lay on the grass, staring at her with wide eyes

“I guess my secret’s out” she muttered…


	5. Rise of Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jordan tells Jill who she really is and then has decision to make

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, here's an update to The Return of Ultrawoman, hope everybody likes it Here's some worldbuilding
> 
>  **Tomorrow People/Person:** Someone who has superpowers, they get their powers through an accident, like the Fantastic Four or Spider-man

******

**Blue Harbor General Hospital**

Jill Ellis sat up with a groan, punching the pillow under her before turning to watch Jordan who was standing by the window, staring out at the city

“I wonder who’s more freaked out right now,” Jill began “me, knowing that my aunt is a shapeshifter, or you, knowing that I know that you’re a shapeshifter”

“I wanted to tell you,” Jordan began “for years, but….I couldn’t”

“Afraid that I might publish it” Jill reasoned

“For one thing,” Jordan nodded “and also because, I was afraid that you might look at me like how you’re looking at me right now, afraid”

“I’m not afraid,” Jill countered “I’m…unnerved, wigged out, even a little angry at you for not trusting me enough to tell me, but I’m not afraid” Jordan sighed

“You’re a good person, Jill,” she noted “Kate raised you right”

“Considering that she was a single mother in the ultra-conservative sixties, she’d better have,” Jill chuckled “so, how long am I staying here for anyway? I didn’t even hit my head that hard, and I wouldn’t have hit my head at all if you hadn’t pushed me”

“It’s just overnight,” Jordan assured her as she turned to face her, ignoring the whining “we just want to be sure you don’t have a concussion” she continued

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Jill muttered “so, how long have you been a Tomorrow Person?” she wondered, Jordan smirked

“I’m not a Tomorrow Person” she said, Jill sat up straighter, frowning

“Then…what are you?” she asked, Jordan sighed, grabbing a chair and sitting down

“Are you sure you want to know?” she asked “because the only other person who knows is your mother”

“I’m sure” Jill nodded, Jordan sighed

“OK,” she muttered “I…,” she took a breath “well, all right, you know that I’m not your aunt biologically, right?” at Jill’s nod she continued “all right, as you already know, I’m a shapeshifter, but unlike the Tomorrow People I didn't get my powers through an accident, I was _born_ with this power, among others, only…I wasn’t born anywhere near this planet”

“O…K,” Jill began “then…that would mean that….you, uh…,” Jordan nodded slowly “so, that means that you’re…an alien?” Jordan nodded “so, how did you get here? Why?” Jill asked

“I crashed here,” Jordan explained “your grandparents and their daughter dug me out the ground my pod had buried itself in, took me in, gave me a home”

“And you couldn’t get back?” Jill wondered, Jordan smirked bitterly

“I’m the last of my kind,” she explained “my planet is dead and burned, I’m all that’s left of my entire race, no one else, just me…the last daughter of Mars” Jill stared at her, eyes wide

“Mars?” she repeated, she suddenly gasped and covered her mouth in shock “omygod!” she gasped out “oh my god, you’re, you’re, you’re _her!!_ ”

“Jill, _breathe_ ,” Jordan encouraged gently as Jill started gasping for breath “you’re going to hyperventilate”

Jill sucked in a deep gulp of air, seemed to calm somewhat, and then started giggling madly

“Oh, great, you broke her, thanks a lot Jo” Jordan looked up to see Kate standing behind her, the door to the room just swinging shut

“How long have you been standing there?” Jordan wondered

“Long enough to see Jill giggling like crazy” Kate replied, nodding to her still giggling daughter

“How did you even get here?” Jordan wondered

“Unlike you, _I_ can drive,” Kate answered, she glanced at her daughter “how are you doing, honey?” she asked

“Oh, I’m just great, Mom” Jill giggled “my aunt is Ultrawoman!” she gasped out

“Did you give her something?” Kate wondered, Jordan shook her head

“Nope, just a very mild sedative” she answered

“I don’t think its working” Kate noted as Jill continued giggling before suddenly sobering

“Uh, guys?” she nodded to the TV up on the wall, Jordan and Kate turned, watching a news bulletin flash by

“ _We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. Just moments ago a group of heavily-armed entered the jewelry exchange on Grant Avenue, they reportedly stole at least half a million dollars worth of jewelry and are now engaged in a massive gunfight with Blue Harbor PD. Preliminary reports indicate that the suspects are armed with military-grade assault rifles and are wearing full body armor, a SWAT was called in to support the officers at the scene, but so far has been unsuccessful in stopping the suspects who it seems have now gone a shooting spree along Grant Avenue,_ ” an areal view from a news chopper clearly showed four figures in black body armor simply _walking_ through a hail of bullets as the SWAT team opened fire from all sides “ _BHPD are trying to evacuate as many people as they can,_ ” the newscaster continued “ _but it appears that the suspects currently outgun the police_ ”

“Jordan…” Kate began, Jordan shook her head

“I can’t”

“Goddamn it! Jordan!! People are dying!!” Kate roughly grabbed her arm and forced her around “innocent people, good people are dying and you can do something to stop it!” she took a breath and gently cupped her sister’s cheek “the world may not want you, J’or’Da’an, but it _needs_ you”

“She’s right,” Jill spoke up, she smirked “time to save the world again, Ultrawoman” she proclaimed, Jordan slowly nodded as she looked between them both

“Thank you” she whispered

“You can thank us later,” Kate dismissed “right now get your Martian butt over there” Jordan nodded and slowly slipped off her glasses, passing them to Kate as she hurried out of the room at a sprint

“Dr. Ellis!”

“Sorry, Suzy, not now!” Jordan called back as she hurried for the stairs, taking them two at a time to the roof, bursting out of the door at a near sprint, shrugging off her clothes as she did, a fiery, crackling haze surrounding her now-nude form, the iridescent blue of Ultrawoman’s armor and cape emerging from beneath her skin as she leapt off the edge of the roof, taking to the sky with a bang and a streak of red light….

******

**Grant Avenue**

“Come on! Fall back!!” members of the BHPD SWAT team scurried back down the street, officers ducking behind parked cars and into doorways as the four thieves kept firing, their guns loaded with armor piercing rounds that easily tore through Kevlar vests like a knife through butter, already six officers lay dead in the street, and dozens more huddled behind cars, bleeding from various wounds

******

Jordan sailed down the cross street of Shuster, scanning the police band, as a Martian she not only could ‘see’ radio and television signals, she could also tap into them, able to tune in to them just as easily as someone with a radio could

“ _Attention all units, SWAT team in need of reinforcements at Grant Avenue, suspects are armed and highly dangerous, use of deadly force is authorized, FBI TAC team en route, ETA fifteen minutes_ ” the FBI wouldn’t make it in time, not before a lot of people died, Jordan realized, she increased her speed, rocketing forward with a bang

******

“Where the fuck are the feds?!?!” Sgt, Anna Markowitz demanded, cringing as more bullets pelted the truck she was taking cover behind, she was a fifteen year veteran of the BHPD and a ten year veteran of the SWAT team, she’d seen a lot of crazy things over the years, but nothing quite like this

“Dispatch says their fifteen minutes out!” another officer replied

“Great! They’ll get here just in time to take us to the fucking morgue!” Markowitz snarled “who the fuck are these people?!!” she demanded

“No idea!” someone answered “but they’ve got body armor!”

“I can see that, Willis!!” Anna retorted as she reloaded and popped up from behind the truck’s hood, firing she did, hitting two of the four suspects in the chest, the bullets from her AR-15 harmlessly bouncing off the body armor that both of them wore, the body armor was so thick and heavy she couldn’t even tell if she was shooting a group of men or a group of women “come on!” she hurried her team out from behind the truck, getting two of them to cover, before she was hit in the leg

“Sarge!” one of her team yelled

“Go!!” she ordered, wincing at the burn in her leg as one of the suspects slowly approached her, she cringed as she saw their eyes through the ski mask, they were dead eyes, cold, no compassion, no sympathy, these people were monsters, they were killing just for the fun of it. She took a breath and sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that this wasn’t the end. She heard the _click_ of the suspect reloading and watched as he or she raised the rifle at level with her head, this was it she thought, this is the end

But then, just as the suspect’s finger tightened on the trigger, there was a streak of red, and a figure in blue and a bright red cape suddenly dropped down between her and the shooter just as the suspect opened fire, Anna wondered if she was hallucinating as she saw the bullets harmlessly ricocheting off her savior’s body, before they drew back a hand and calmly knocked the shooter away, sending him flying across the street. Slowly her savior turned to look at her and Anna got a clearer look, it was a woman with long curly black hair and bright blue eyes, she frowned as she crouched down next to Anna, examining the GSW in her leg

“You’re hemorrhaging,” the woman announced “I need to cauterize this before you bleed out”

“How?” Anna laughed, the woman smirked

“I can do a lot of things,” she held out her hand “squeeze my hand,” she instructed as she put her other hand over the wound “this is going to hurt” she warned just as a searing burn tore through Anna’s leg “easy, easy, almost there,” the woman soothed as Anna howled in agony “just keep squeezing my hand, almost, got it!” she pulled her hand away as Anna gasped for breath, the pieces falling into place as she stared at the other woman

“Ultrawoman…” she whispered as she slowly sat up, the woman nodded

“Sarge?” another officer questioned, Anna blinked and looked around, noticing that the rest of the SWAT team had their guns trained on the Martian

“Stand down!” she ordered, she looked back as Ultrawoman slowly stood up

“With your permission?” she asked, Anna slowly nodded, too stupefied to speak “get your officers to get as many civilians out as you can,” Ultrawoman explained “use the basements, use the subway, but _do not_ take them out into the street” she instructed, Anna dimly nodded

“Hey why the hell am I taking orders from some weirdo in a cape?” Willis demanded, which snapped Anna out of her stupor

“This ‘werido’ is Ultrawoman, Willis” Anna snapped as Ultrawoman stepped out into the middle of street. Anna watched as the remaining three suspects stopped and stared at her for a second, clearly startled at the image of a woman facing them down dressed in a bright red cape and blue chain mail, but quickly got over it and opened fire again, Ultrawoman smirked and simply, almost casually, began to walk towards then, bullets ricocheting off her, the three shooters began to concentrate their efforts, all three of them aiming at her chest, for all the good it did.

Finally, now standing directly in front of them, she reached out, grabbing one’s rifle, a bright crimson light pulsing under the skin of her hand. The shooter shirked in pain as he let go of the gun, the rifle literally _melting_ in Ultrawoman’s grip, turning on her heel she knocked a second shooter away before simply facing down the third, raising an eyebrow challengingly

“Care to go for round two without the guns?” she asked, the third shooter whimpered and dropped his gun “smart,” Ultrawoman noted as she roughly grabbed him and his buddy and easily carried them back over to Anna “I think these are yours” she said as she dropped them at Anna’s feet

“Cuff ‘em!” Anna barked as her team surrounded them, guns drawn, the first shooter that Ultrawoman had disabled having already been disarmed and cuffed “I almost didn’t believe you existed,” Anna began as she limped towards the alien “thank you” Ultrawoman simply nodded

“You can thank me by getting that leg checked out” she advised before she took off in a gust of wind of a streak of red light


	6. No Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They call her a 'hero', but Jor'Da'an of Mars is no know hero, she just does the _right_ thing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Yes, dear reader, Ultrawoman is back! Enjoy! :=)

******

“ _Good morning Blue Harbor and our top story today, the only story that anybody’s talking about, the sudden reappearance of Ultrawoman. After a fifty-four year absence, Mother Mars quite literally_ dropped out of the sky _yesterday afternoon, stopping the four heavily-armed suspects on Grant Avenue and saving the lives of over a dozen police officers before disappearing once more. Her sudden reappearance has the entire city, if not the world, all asking the same question: where did she go? Will she come back? And, most importantly, where is she now?_ ”

“Brushing her teeth” Jordan muttered around her toothbrush, she spat out the toothpaste, rinsed, and then examined her reflection in the mirror _’you’ve gotten old, J’or’Da’an,’_ she thought _’but yet by Hasha’han standards you’re still just a kid’_

“ _In related news,_ ” the newscaster continued “ _Ultrawoman’s return has caused something of a firestorm in Washington. As the world’s first ace, Ultrawoman set the standard for other costumed vigilantes to follow, leading to the eventual passing of the ‘Costumed Vigilante Regulation and Restriction Act’—better known as the ‘Latham Act’—into law, regulating the actions of costumed vigilantes—better known as ‘aces’. With Ultrawoman’s return, many in Washington are concerned that this will cause a ‘dangerous upswing in the presence and activities of costumed vigilantism’, including the President, who called it ‘worrisome’ in a Tweet today, adding that people have ‘every reason to be afraid the Martian, we still don’t know what her intentions are’._ ”

“How in the hell did people vote for him?” Jordan muttered as she shifted to another channel

“ _In Africa today, a massive tsunami struck the coast of the nation of Umbya, however relief efforts are being hampered due to the regime of General Abo, who has forbid the United Nations and other international relief organizations from landing in the country, due to increasing rebel activity_ ”

Jordan sighed as she finished drying her face

It looked like she would be late today…

******

**Republic of Umbya**   
**West Africa**

Jordan swooped low and gently touched down on the shoreline, cape fluttering behind her as she took in the devastation. What had once been a shoreline village had been flattened and then pushed at least three miles inland from the force of the tsunami. Taking a steadying breath, Jordan gently lifted off again and touched down in the relative center of the village, watching as frightened and desperate people both cowered at the sight of her and yet also tried to reach for her, while others continued their work of carrying the bodies of the dead out of collapsed homes and buildings in a seemingly-endless procession.

One by one, people began to reach out to Jordan, many too weak or injured to stand, their hands desperately clawing at her armor as they fell to the ground, pleading and begging for help, Jordan didn’t speak the language, but a cry for help sounded the same in any language.

She stopped at the sight of a woman who sat on the ground clutching her dead child, wailing hysterically. Jordan softly approached the woman, gently crouching down next to her and gently resting a hand on her shoulder, reaching out with her mind. Jordan grimaced as she felt the woman’s grief, her anguish, her anger at the world, battering against her mental shields. Pushing past those feelings, Jordan reached into her own memories, summoning the memory of her daughter, her son, her husbands, and showed them to the woman, showing her how she overcame her own grief, her own anguish.

Pulling back from the bond, Jordan gave the woman a sad smile as she gently eased the child’s limp form from her arms and carried the little boy over to the seemingly-endless row of bodies lined up at the village’s edge, quietly passing the child to a worker, who gently took the boy from her

“Be careful with him, please” Jordan requested softly, hoping the man understood

“Yes” he nodded as he, almost-reverently, carried the boy and placed him down amongst the other dead

“You!” Jordan turned at the voice, finding an important-looking man now striding forward through the rubble while a jeep and a row of soldiers came to a stop at the village’s edge, but, instead of passing out relief supplies, they formed a line, knocking away any villager who tried to go up to them, while a tank pulled up behind them.

Scowling, Jordan turned her attention back to the man in the suit

“General Abo, I presume?” she drawled. The man in front of her was infamous; some hailed him as a no-nonsense leader who would not bow down to terrorists, others as a vicious tyrant and dictator who was willing to use the very tactics he spoke out against in order to maintain his grip on the country. And as he stood in front of her, Jordan was inclined to agree with the latter. A long scar ran down from his hairline across his left eye, leaving the eye clouded and no doubt without sight, while his gray hair was scraggly and somewhat unkempt, looking like it may not have grown in properly due to some kind of injury to his scalp

“I know you,” General Abo hissed in accented, but fluent English “your government calls you ‘Ultrawoman’,” he smirked “I wonder….what makes you so special?”

“Nothing, really,” Jordan shrugged “I’m just some dumb girl in a cape,” she sobered “General, I’ve come to ask—”

“I know why you are here,” Abo rasped out “and I know that your government thinks that by sending you here, they will force me to give in to their demands,” he shook his head “you are not welcome here, you or your government”

“I don’t represent any government,” Jordan countered “ _please_ , why deny these people aid?” she wondered “what purpose does it serve?”

“The people in this region have supported my enemies for years, they give them shelter, food, they lie to my soldiers about the enemy’s whereabouts,” he smirked “a tsunami is a far better punishment than I could have hoped”

“You’re insane” Jordan stated in disgust

“You are not the first to call me that,” Abo acknowledged “nor, I think, will you be the last” he snapped his fingers, the line of soldiers all raised their rifles at once, taking aim at Jordan

“Bullets won’t work on me” Jordan reminded him

“No,” he agreed “but they work very well on Humans,”

The soldiers immediately grabbed several villagers, forcing them in a huddled clump, before taking aim with their rifles

“They say that you can outpace a bullet,” Abo commented “but can you outpace _all_ of them? Can you save _every person_ in this village?” his smirk became confident “you see, true power lies with those have the means to back up their words,” he explained “in short, the people who have the guns have the power,” his smirk widened “you _could_ stop me,” he pointed out “kill me even…but no, you’re far too noble for that. After all, you are the world’s first ‘superhero’, the first of the noble and heroic aces”

Jordan shook her head “You see,” she began “that’s what a lot of people get wrong about me, I’m not a ‘hero’, I’m not a ‘saint’, I’m not some…’divine savior’, I'm just an idiot in a cape who tries to do the right thing,” she smirked as she lifted off the ground a few feet “and I don’t have to kill you, General. I just don’t have to _save_ you”

In a blur, she suddenly shot forward in a streak of red light, knocking the soldiers away from the villagers, simply standing there as they recovered their weapons and opened fire, the bullets bouncing off her skin and armor

“ _ **KILL HER!! KILL HER!! KILL HER!!**_ ” Abo shrieked at his troops as the tank took aim and fired, the round colliding with Jordan and knocking her off her feet, sending her tumbling back to land in undignified sprawl. Slowly climbing to her feet, she faced the tank as it fired again, easily dodging the second round, before holding out a hand, a shimmering beam of crimson energy lashing out from her hand to lash at the tank, actually flipping it over

Turning back to the soldiers, she scowled as she saw several of them using the villagers as human shields, guns trained on their captives’ heads. Slowly lowering her hand, Jordan took stock of the situation, before shooting behind the armed men and ripping them away from the hostages in a burst of speed, throwing them aside with as little strength as possible, she didn’t want to kill these men, but she would have to if it came to that …

******

Meanwhile General Abo ducked behind a still-standing concrete wall. Panting with age and terror, he frantically dug a satellite phone out of his coat

“ _What is it?_ ” a voice demanded on the other end

“She called my bluff!” Abo panted out “you said that she wouldn’t risk the lives of the villagers! You promised!”

“ _Hmm,_ ” the other man mused “ _she’s changed_ ” he noted dispassionately

“What about our agreement?!” Abo demanded “where’s my money?!” he gasped as an arm suddenly burst through the wall to wrap around his waist, yanking him straight _through_ the weakened wall in a shower of dust. Gasping, Abo stared as Ultrawoman easily hoisted him up by the front of his shirt

“You said that the ‘people who have the guns have the power’, right?” she asked, she turned and nodded to the villagers, many of whom now held the soldiers rifles in their hands “well, look who have the guns now” Abo grunted as she suddenly dropped him onto the ground before turning to the villagers “he’s all yours” she proclaimed

“WAIT!!” Abo lunged, clawing at Ultrawoman’s cape “PLEASE! YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME HERE TO DIE!!!”

She slowly turned to face him

“Who said I was leaving you here to die?” she wondered “that’s not my decision,” she nodded at the villagers as they swiftly surround him, guns at the ready “that’s theirs” she explained before shrugging him off and taking off in a gust of wind.

Turning, Abo watched in horror as the villagers began to angrily march towards him…


	7. Bogey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Wow, two updates in two days :=). Hope everybody enjoys this one :=)

******

**USAF Forward Operations Base  
Egypt**

At the same moment Jordan was flying away from Umbya, a flurry of activity descended upon the control of the USAF’s forward operations base in Egypt

“What the hell was that?” Colonel Sharp, the base commander, demanded as satellite tracking picked an object swiftly leaving the shoreline of Umbya

“Unknown, ma’am”

“Did we have the green light to go in?” Sharp demanded

“Negative, ma’am, orders from State were for relief efforts only”

“Then what the hell just took out General Abo and his men?!”

“Unknown”

“Goddamn it!” Sharp slammed a hand down on the table “get me the CIA” she ordered

“I’ve already Langley on the phone,” a sergeant replied “they want to know if it’s us”

“It is definitely not us, Colonel!”

“Not Marines!” someone called out

“Not the SEALs”

“Will _somebody_ tell me what the hell that thing is?!” Colonel Sharp demanded

“We got a bogey!”

“Confirmed, sat tracking shows a bogey crossing over Giza!”

“Is there any match to its radar signature?” Sharp demanded

“No, ma’am, nothing”

“How the hell did we not see it?” she demanded

“Minimal radar profile, ma’am”

“Stealth?” Sharp wondered

“No, ma’am, just…small. It could be a UAV”

“What’s that light?” Sharp asked, nodding towards the screen

“Unknown, ma’am, bogey appears to be giving off some kind of high-energy radiation”

“Raptors inbound, ETA to bogey; one minute”

******

Meanwhile, flying over Giza, Jordan frowned as she spotted familiar transmission, to her eyes the normally invisible radio transmission appeared as a shimmering, multi-colored ribbon of light. Smirking, Jordan tapped into it

“Hi, Jill” she greeted

“ _Hi, aunt Jordan_ ” Jill greeted

“What can I do for you today, Jill?” Jordan smirked “an interview with Ultrawoman, perhaps?”

“ _How did you…never mind,_ ” Jill muttered “ _so, can you?_ ” she asked

“Depends,” Jordan replied “what’s the subject?”

“ _Just…why you left, where you’ve been all these years, why come back now?_ ” Jill replied

“I can do that,” Jordan replied, she paused and looked back over her shoulder as two F-22 Raptors emerged from the clouds “Jill? Can I call you back?” not giving Jill an opportunity to reply, Jordan ended the call and then tapped into the transmissions from the Raptors, easily bypassing the encryption

“ _Tiger One to Trap, we have the bogey in our sights_ ” one pilot reported as the other began to send RF signals, which Jordan studiously ignored, not in the mood to deal with the military at the moment

“ _Do you have radio contact?_ ” a woman, presumably the commander back at base, asked

“ _Non-responsive_ ” the other pilot, presumably Tiger Two, replied

“ _Acknowledged. Tigers, you are clear to engage_ ”

 _’I don’t think so’_ Jordan thought as she swung her arms back and rocketed forward, leaving a sonic boom in her wake

“ _Bogey just went supersonic!_ ” Tiger One reported as Jordan disappeared into the clouds “ _I don’t see it!_ ”

“ _Confirmed, no radar contact_ ” Tiger Two reported

“ _No sat visual_ ” someone at base reported

“ _Where the hell did it go?!_ ” the same woman demanded. Mentally sighing, Jordan looped around, gliding up between the two jets, flying at parallel between them, smirking as the pilots’ eyes widened in shock

“ _Holy---!_ ”

“Tiger report!” Sharp demanded

“ _Tiger One to Trap,_ ” one of the pilots radioed back “ _it’s definitely not a UAV. It looks like…a woman_ ”

Silence reigned in the control room as officers stared at each other, some beginning to snicker

“Are you joking, son?” Sharp demanded

“No, ma’am,” Tiger One replied “ _it…looks like a woman, ma’am_ ”

“A woman” Sharp repeated slowly

“ _Yes, ma’am, in a long red cape_ ” Tiger One replied

“A woman,” Sharp repeated “in a long red cape”

“ _Yes, ma’am_ ”

“Airman, if this is your idea of a practical joke…”

“ _No joke, ma’am,_ ” Tiger Two reported quickly “ _its…a woman_ ”

“I see,” Sharp nodded slowly “and just _what_ is Wendy doing now, pilot?” she demanded

“ _I think it’s called ‘flying’,_ ” a woman’s voice replied “ _although I might be mistaken_ ”

“Who is this?” Sharp demanded “how did you get on this channel?”

“ _I’m your bogey,_ ” the woman replied “ _although you might know me better as ‘Ultrawoman’_ ”

Several pens clattered to the floor as their holder’s jaws dropped

“Ul, ultrawoman,” Sharp stammered out “I’m talking to….Ultrawoman?”

“ _That’s correct, and whom am I speaking with?”_ ”

“Colonel Victoria Sharp, United States Air Force” Sharp introduced herself

“ _Lovely to make your acquaintance, Colonel,_ ” Ultrawoman replied “ _and now that the introductions are out of the way, could call off these jets please? For one thing the gentlemen inside can’t stop staring_ ” 

Sharp took a breath “Tiger One, Tiger Two, guide Ultrawoman into base” she ordered…

******

A few minutes later, Sharp marched out onto the blazing hot tarmac as the two Raptors came in for a landing

“Colonel” both men saluted as they each climbed out of the cockpit

“Captain Rhodes, Captain Miller,” Sharp returned the salutes “report”

“She should be right behind us, ma’am” Captain Miller, pilot of Tiger One, replied. As soon as he finished speaking a distant rumble broke the air. The three looked up as a small speck of red light rapidly approached, suddenly stopping on a dime to simply float above them

“Holy shit” Sharp whispered as Ultrawoman floated above her, cape rustling in the breeze, the sunlight glinting off her bright blue armor

“Colonel Sharp?” the Martian asked. Sharp felt a bit of giddiness well up inside her as she stepped forward

“I am” she acknowledged as Ultrawoman slowly landed, touching down with a grace and delicateness that no jet would ever be able to achieve. Slowly Ultrawoman stepped forward, holding out a hand

“It’s to meet you in person, Colonel” she said as Sharp shook her hand

“You’ve caused quite a stir in Washington,” she commented “I’m assuming that was you in Umbya?”

“It was,” Ultrawoman replied “are you going to arrest me?” she asked

Sharp sighed “No,” she answered “it’d be a public relations nightmare if I did for one thing”

“And for another?” Ultrawoman wondered, eyebrow raised

Sharp chuckled “You’re actually the reason I got in the service,” she admitted “hearing all about you as kid, it…inspired me”

Ultrawoman smiled “I’m glad to hear it,” she replied “so, can I go?” she asked

“You can go,” Sharp nodded, watching as Ultrawoman lifted off the ground and began to slowly rise. Sharp suddenly gasped and sprinted forward “wait!” she called out, Ultrawoman stopped, slowly drifting back down

“Yes?” she asked

Sharp felt her face heat up “Can I have your autograph?” she asked

Ultrawoman chuckled “Sure” she replied….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if the Air Force actually has a base in Egypt or not


	8. Suspended, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Enjoy! :=)

******

**Blue Harbor General Hospital  
Blue Harbor, Washington State**

Nurse Suzy Corrigan sighed as she checked her watch for the umpteenth time

 _’Come on, Jordan,’_ she thought _’this isn’t like you’_

“Nurse,” one of the other doctors approached Suzy’s station “where is Dr. Ellis?”

“I don’t know, sir,” Suzy replied “she called earlier and said that she wasn’t going to be late” not a lie, Jordan had indeed called to say that was she running late, but she hadn’t said how long or why

“Hmm,” the man nodded “very well”

Now alone, Suzy bit back a curse “Damn it, Jordan, where are you?” she hissed. She felt a little hurt, she and Jordan were friends, frequently hanging out together, and even at times crashing at each others apartments after a long shift. In all honesty, Suzy liked Jordan as more than just a friend, but figured that Jordan didn’t see her that way, she hadn’t given any indications that she liked women, but…nor had she given any indication that she strictly liked men either, Suzy scowled as she stared at her reflection in her coffee mug

 _’Is it because I’m black?’_ she wondered, no that couldn’t be it, Jordan had never shown any indication of being racist. Shaking her head, Suzy looked up at the news feed playing on her tablet, which had been doing variations on Ultrawoman’s sudden return for the past day and a half

“ _…following the end of the McCarthy communist witch hunts—during which many aces were forced into retirement—Congress passed the ‘Costumed Vigilante Regulation and Restriction Act’, better known as the ‘Latham Act’ in order to regulation the activities of various aces. Under the terms of the Act, aces were granted legal immunity from any wrongdoing, provided that their activities where done in a costumed identity, separate from their private one. In exchange, they were required to obey all local laws and defer to the authority of the local government, acting as a sort of ‘second police force’. Following the so-called ‘Ultrawoman Incident’ in Cuba in 1963, an amendment to the Latham Act was added. Known as the ‘Keene Amendment’, it removes the legal protection provided to aces if they are caught in any ‘blatant violation of the law, or other criminal behavior’. However, due to Ultrawoman’s wartime service, lawmakers made no efforts to enforce this amendment on her…_ ”

The ding of the elevator broke Suzy out of her thoughts

“There you are!” she sprinted over to Jordan as the other woman came out of the elevator “what the hell, Jordan?” she hissed as she sided up to the taller woman “you’re nearly an _hour_ late!”

“Medical emergency at my apartment,” Jordan answered, adjusting her glasses “one of my neighbors had dangerously low blood sugar and I spent that hour trying to convince him to go to the ER”

“Did he agree?” Suzy asked

Jordan shook her head “Nope, he insisted on staying home, when I left his sugar had stabilized, so I just told his wife to keep an eye on him and call 911 if his condition changed,” she shrugged “we can’t force them to go, Suzy”

“No,” Suzy agreed “we can’t” she nodded as an alarm suddenly blared out

“Code blue!” someone called out “we’ve got a massive pile up on the Bridge!”

“Let’s go” Jordan nodded as doctors, nurses, and paramedics all scrambled to grab supplies to head out to the bridge…

******

**Five minutes earlier…**

The Kent Island Bridge was the only suspension bridge in Blue Harbor, extending from the city to the small island in the middle of the bay, it was originally built in the early-Fifties to allow people living in the newly-constructed communities on Kent Island to get to and from the city proper quickly and easily and billed as cheaper and quicker alternative to the ferry.

That advertising scheme had worked and an estimated two thousand people crossed the bridge’s span every day from its opening day to present, from sunup to sundown. The bridge was never quiet or empty, at five AM in the dead of winter, in the middle of a snowstorm; chances were that you’d find at least a few cars crossing the bridge.

Currently the bridge was in the midst of a renovation to repair and update its ageing structure, and that was where things had gone wrong. At a quarter to noon, Jaime Olsen was driving down the length of the bridge from her home on Kent Island towards the city, the massive shadow of the still-inactive particle reactor looming behind her. Jaime’s objective was a job search, which would no doubt prove fruitless, as had the last twenty or so. Her only passenger was her six year old daughter Katie, who was more interested in playing with and doodling on the cast on her arm then watching then anything going on around her, as children often do.

At exactly twelve noon the traffic ground to a halt as the Blue Harbor Transit Authority blocked one of the bridge’s four lanes, which gave Jaime a few minutes to mentally decompress, it was a nice sunny day (a rarity this far north), and the sunlight glinted off the waters of the bay, making for a pretty scene

“Don’t scratch at it, Katie” Jaime warned without looking

“But it’s _itchy!_ ” Katie complained, before suddenly gasping in excitement “look, mom!” she exclaimed, pointing at one of the screens that hung over the roadway. Normally used to display traffic updates, the screens also displayed news feeds and even commercials and advertisements, a surprisingly usual feature when traffic was at a snail’s pace. Currently the screen that Katie was pointing at was awash in blue “look, Mom! Look!” Katie exclaimed

“I see’ Jamie said as a montage of images of Ultrawoman were suddenly splashed across the screen, with a scroll of text reading ‘SHE’S BACK!’ in giant, garishly colored letters

“Ultrawoman!” Katie cheered exuberantly, kicking her little legs excitedly, and Jaime had to smile at her daughter. She was jobless, her bastard ex-husband just barely deigned to pay his alimony, giving only the bare minimum, but even then, Katie’s lust for life and child’s sense of wonder made her smile. Katie had never met Ultrawoman, she was far too young to even remember her, but her love for the alien hero knew no bounds, she had after all even tried to fly like Ultrawoman by jumping off the top of the stairs, an incident that not only prompted her cast, but had probably also shaved a good three years off Jaime’s life expectancy from sheer fright.

Jaime looked up as the freestanding light stopped blinking, a signal for the motorists to move forward again. About five cars back, a man talking on his cell phone—in blatant disregard of the new laws—missed this signal and hurried to catch up, going faster then allowed or needed, slamming into the car in front of him, which slammed into the car in front of it, creating an increasingly dangerous domino effect, by the time the chain hit Jaime’s car, the force of the impact had been multiplied.

Protectively throwing out an arm in front of her daughter, Jaime struggled to control the car as the vehicle not only jerked forward, but began to fishtail, quickly rolling forward onto the pedestrian lane, before suddenly smashing through the guardrail to dangle precariously over the edge.

In total it all happened all in the space of less than a minute…

******

“All right!” Jordan barked out with the air and commanding authority of a general as a gaggle of emergency vehicles stopped on the bridge, as close as possible to the accident site “standard triage situation, get people out of their cars and away from the edge!”

“Ohh,” Suzy groaned “I hate heights” she moaned as she slung a heavy duty first aid kit onto her shoulder

“Look straight ahead,” Jordan advised “not left, not right, just straight ahead. Focus on the patient” she reminded

“Man,” a firefighter groaned a few feet away “we’ve got a situation here, woman and little girl in their car caught over the edge. They look OK, but that car’s going to go over any second”

“Well, where's the air rescue?” someone else demanded

“Ten minutes out” the firefighter answered

“Fuck!”

“I know,” the firefighter nodded grimly “I hope she gets here soon”

“Dr. Ellis, do we need....?” Suzy frowned as she looked up from double-checking the first aid kit “Dr. Ellis?” she looked around, not seeing any sign of Jordan “Jordan?”

******

Jaime clutched Katie tighter as the car continued to rock precariously on the edge

“Stay still! Stay still!” she ordered as the car rocked with every movement they made “shh, shh” she hushed, trying to sooth Katie, who seemed far too calm given the circumstances

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Katie said confidently “Ultrawoman will save us” she proclaimed with innocence that only a child held, Jaime had no such innocence, she was an engineer by trade, she knew _exactly_ how much effort it would take to tip the car over the edge.

The car suddenly jerked, frantically looking back, Jaime saw several firefighters trying to hook tow cables onto the back of the car to hold it steady, even though, with the car suspended directly on the midpoint, it was in danger of actually breaking in half if they tried to just pull it back in with a tow truck

“Ma’am?” one of the firefighter's called out “it’ll be OK,” he proclaimed, just as there was a loud, awful, metallic _snap_. A stricken expression crossed the man’s face and he had just enough time to moan out a horrified “oh god” as the car suddenly began to slide forward over the edge at a frightening pace

“Get off it! Get off it!” someone yelled “its going to go!”

“EVERYBODY BACK!!!” someone else screamed

Jaime squeezed her eyes shut and held Katie close as the car suddenly tipped over the edge. There was an almost-exhilarating feeling of weightlessness, and then a sudden stop. Cautiously opening her eyes, Jaime looked around, wondering why she wasn’t plummeting to her death, suddenly realizing that the car now hung suspended in mid-air, dangling hundreds of feet over the water. Had it been caught on something? A part of the guardrail perhaps?

A sudden metallic _shriek_ caught her attention and, looking up, she saw that the car was starting to literally tear in half, whatever force was holding it suspended couldn’t stop gravity from dragging the heavier front end down into the water, and with the car already weakened, it was only a matter of seconds before Jaime and her daughter plunged into the water below.

There was a thump and Jaime cringed as the driver’s side door was suddenly ripped off. Daring to look, she felt her jaw drop as she came face to face with Ultrawoman herself. The Martian gave her a reassuring smile and offered a hand. Gasping, Jaime managed to work a hand free and desperately gripped the other woman’s hand even as she felt herself and Katie drop a scant few inches

“You got her?” Ultrawoman nodded to Katie, Jaime shakily nodded as she tightened her grip around Katie’s waist, Ultrawoman nodded back “OK, just keep holding my hand. Ready? And…one…two…three!” as Jaime watched, Ultrawoman’s other hand, the one holding the rapidity disintegrating car aloft, let go, and suddenly all three of them were airborne. Jaime cringed at the distant splash as the car finally broke in two and hit the water “easy, just breathe, you’re doing fine” Ultrawoman encouraged as Jaime suddenly felt ground beneath her feet, gasping she opened her eyes and saw that she was now standing in the center of the bridge.

Slowly looking up, Jaime studied the alien woman now standing in front of her Ultrawoman was tall, yes, but not abnormally so, her bright blue eyes—colored a shade of blue unknown to Earth—were aged yet kind, and Jaime recognized the look in them as that of a fellow mother, there was a sadness in those eyes, the eyes of someone who had lost everything.

An excited gasp from Katie broke Jaime out of her thoughts. Looking down at the precious bundle in her arms, Jaime saw that Katie’s eyes were wide and big, all of her attention focused solely on Ultrawoman, before she turned back to her mother, looking rather smug for a six year old

“Told you!” she beamed, Ultrawoman chuckled as Katie quickly squirmed out of her mother’s grip and hurried over to the Martian, suddenly throwing her arms around the alien woman’s legs. Ultrawoman didn’t seem to mind however, she merely smiled as she crouched down to Katie’s level

“Hello there” she greeted softly as Katie started giggling

“I remember you!” she gasped

“Oh?” Ultrawoman asked, smiling

“You’re that nice doctor who fixed my arm” Katie proclaimed, holding up her cast. Jaime blinked, suddenly frowning as the image of that doctor’s face flashed before her mind’s eye. It couldn’t be? Could it?

“That’s right,” Ultrawoman nodded “and I remember you too, Katie,” she smiled “you jumped off the stairs trying to fly, didn’t you?”

Katie nodded, looking absurdly proud “Yep!”

Ultrawoman chuckled “Well, sorry to disappoint you, sweetie, but only Martians can fly like that, you can’t unless you’re in an airplane” she explained as she stood up and smiled at a still-shocked Jaime

“I remember you too,” Jaime croaked out “Dr….Ellis, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right,” Ultrawoman nodded, she looked as if she was about to say something when a _whoosh_ suddenly broke the air. Turning the trio watched as a figure clad in bright, metallic red, white, and blue armor suddenly landed nearby “Captain Dynamic,” Ultrawoman nodded at the other ace as he approached, his helmet retracting, revealing a handsome man with all-American, male model features “sorry to steal your thunder,” she apologized "no hard feelings, I hope?"

Captain Dynamic smirked as he stopped “No problem,” he remarked as he suddenly threw out an arm, a baseball-sized blast of yellow energy suddenly surged out from his gauntlet, hitting Ultrawoman in the chest and hurtling her back about ten feet to collide with a car "no problem at all” Captain Dynamic added as he marched forward...


	9. Suspended, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Possible trigger warning for mentions of a child's death

******

Jordan grunted as she staggered to her feet, energy-based attacks always took it out of her, compared to bullets, which barely tickled. Steadying herself, she watched as Captain Dynamic marched towards her, seemingly heedless of the various innocent people rushing back in a mad scramble

“What are you doing?” Jordan called out

“I’m saving the world” Captain Dynamic proclaimed

“By attacking me?” Jordan asked

“These people,” he sneered “they’ve all spent their entire lives waiting for some ace, some _‘superhero’_ to save them. None of them even know how to fend for themselves anymore, they're just sheep, mindlessly following any damn fool in a cape!”

“That includes you as well,” Jordan countered “in case you haven’t looked in a mirror lately, you’re an ace as well” she reminded him

“No,” he shook his head “I’m the real hero here, I’m the one who’s to going free these people from their dependence on aces and aliens in capes,” his lips pulled back in a sneer “I became an ace, so I could tear them down,” he hissed, he looked around at the huddled crowds “take a good look people!” he proclaimed “today is the day that you can finally be free!”

Jordan charged, slamming into him as fast as she dared with all these people standing around

“They always have to boast” she muttered as Captain Dynamic climbed to his feet

“What’s wrong?” he wondered “afraid to hurt these poor innocent people?” he mocked

“Them? Yes,” Jordan nodded “you? Not so much” she charged again, slamming a fist into his armor, only to recoil at the burning pain that suddenly spider-webbed along her hand. Gasping, she fell back, watching as angry-looking blisters broke out on her hand. She knew this pain, knew it all too well, which meant that he found out.

Captain Dynamic tapped his chest as he stood over her “The armor’s lined with dark matter alloy,” he boasted “the only thing that can hurt you” a spike suddenly extended from his gauntlet, gleaming a glossy, obsidian, jet black in the light, no doubt also made with dark matter. Clutching her now-burning hand, Jordan staggered to her feet, weighing her options, even as he lunged, the blade whooshing through the air, and Jordan barely dodged it in time, only to go flying back as he released another blast of energy from the suit’s other gauntlet.

Panting, Jordan managed to weakly sit up; stopping as a hand suddenly clutched her arm. Looking up, she found herself looking up at Katie’s mother

“The armor has a weak spot in the left shoulder, if you hit it, you’ll disable that part of the suit” she panted out

“How do you know?” Jordan coughed out

The woman sighed “Because I built it,” she explained, she bit her lip, clearly ashamed “he’s my ex-husband” she admitted, but Jordan could sense that she was sincere, hitting the armor in just the right spot would disable him

“Interesting marriage,” Jordan commented as she staggered up “get back to your daughter” she ordered, turning to face Dynamic again, only for him to suddenly rocket forward with blast from the suit's boots. Grunting, Jordan tumbled onto her back, grimacing as the dark matter burned her exposed skin. Working a leg under him, she kicked, knocking him back, but she was weaker now.

Dark matter acted like an allergen to her kind, it not only burned them physically upon contact, it somehow sapped their strength, their powers. A fact that the invading Wraith had exploited with devastating consequences, detonating bombs that seeded Mars’ atmosphere with dark matter dust, contaminating entire cities in hours, condemning thousands of Hasha’han to die a slow, agonizing death.

Jordan remembered those deaths all too well, she remembered how her children had suffered, the way their skin had broken out in an agonizing rash, the way they had struggled to breathe as the dark matter dust clogged their lungs, and how the Wraith soldiers had _laughed_ as they watched…

With a primal roar, Jordan charged, slamming into Dynamic, ignoring the way her skin blistered and burned, the feeling of her strength and speed being sapped away, only gaining the upper hand by virtue of the element of the surprise which she quickly lost, along with her strength. She gasped at a sudden, sharp pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she grimaced at the sight of the spike buried to the hilt in her gut.

Captain Dynamic grinned triumphantly at her as he twisted his arm, the blade breaking free inside her.

Wheezing for breath, Jordan felt her legs give out, collapsing to the ground, as he reached down, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her head back to look her in the eye

“Now… _fly!_ ” he spat…


	10. Suspended, Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even heroes fall...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TEN! Whoo! I want to thank everyone who left kudos and/or comments on this fic, and I hope you're all still enjoy it. Now, on with the show! =)

******

In seconds, thanks to the internet and social media, the entire world saw the brawl on the bridge, from the wilds of Mongolia, to right there in Blue Harbor. Anyone who had a satellite dish and a TV or computer saw Captain Dynamic stab Ultrawoman in the gut and then leave her there to die. At the Blue Haven Retirement home, Kate Ellis frantically gripped the arm of her chair as she fell to knees and prayed….

At the offices of the _Blue Harbor Tribune_ , the entire newsroom ground to a halt as the paper’s entire staff stood there and watched the live stream of the battle, while in her office, Jill Ellis silently began to cry…

All around the world, almost every single man, woman, and child saw it happen live, and the world itself seemed to grind to a halt almost as people stopped what they were doing to watch in morbid fascination, they watched as Captain Dynamic stabbed Ultrawoman in the gut before flying away, they watched as the tons of ordinary people on the bridge—not the first responders strangely enough---but ordinary citizens, scrambled forward and quickly dragged Ultrawoman’s limp body away from the edge, an act that seem to jar the paramedics and firefighters in action, and they descended on the alien ace like bees, rapidly loading her into ambulance, many of their current patients offering to wait while the paramedics tended to Ultrawoman.

All around the world, everyone saw it happen live. Everyone, it seemed, except possibly one person…

******

Suzy Corrigan was not on the bridge when Ultrawoman appeared, she was not on the bridge when Captain Dynamic appeared and attacked Jordan, she was not watching her tablet, Smartphone, or other newsfeed. No, by the time that Captain Dynamic appeared, Suzy was already back at the hospital helping to treat a man with a severely broken leg and possible spinal injury. Despite the severity of the pile up, the injuries were relatively minor thankfully.

Suzy had just stepped out into the hall for a breather and a cup of crap, vending machine coffee when the ER doors burst open, six paramedics entered with a gurney, while a veritable _wall_ of BHPD officers struggled to hold back an enormous crowd of people who were all trying to follow the gurney in it seemed

“Make a hole!” the paramedics bellowed as they wheeled the gurney in, leaving shocked and horrified gasps in their wake. As the gurney passed Suzy, she felt her cup of coffee slip from her hand to hit the floor with a splash

“ _…Jordan?_ ” she whispered as she recognized that face, despite the hideous-looking rash and the bright blue armor and red cape

“Let’s get her into OR!” someone called out as the gurney was wheeled into an operating room, Suzy quickly following, watching as the medical team transferred Ultraw— _Jordan_ to the table

“Is that Dr. Ellis?!” someone asked, which snapped Suzy out of her daze

“Never mind _who_ she is!” she snapped, quickly lining up an IV out of habit and training, the needle sliding into normally-invulnerable alien skin with a frightening amount of ease “we’re medical professionals; she’s a patient, that’s all that matters” Suzy reminded them as she hooked up the IV

“She’s right,” one of the doctors, a young brunette named Dr. Grey, said “let’s get this suit off her,” she ordered as she grabbed a pair of surgical scissors and tried to the cut the suit off, the scissors snapping in half the second they tried to cut through the alien metal “fuck!”

“Wait,” Suzy felt around the shoulders of the suit, where the cape attached, finding a seam of sorts in the otherwise solid, one-piece armor “I think…yeah, got it!” she pulled and the suit suddenly seemed to lose its shape, becoming loose and baggy, peeling off of Ultrawoman’s body almost of its own volition, the entire thing just seemed to _slither_ onto the floor, leaving the cape behind

“All right, let’s get her hooked up for vitals” Dr. Grey ordered as she examined the wound “puncture wound on lower left abdomen, by…unknown object,” she scowled under mask “what the fuck is this thing made of?” she demanded as she struggled to ease the spike out of Ultrawoman’s abdomen, the dark matter seeming to slip and slide out of her grip each time she did.

“She’s seizing!” someone reported as Ultrawoman began jerking and spasming on the gurney, the spike suddenly sliding out, seemingly on it’s own, as if being forced out by Ultrawoman’s body, the wound sealing up almost-instantly

“No pulse!”

“All right charge for defib, two hundred!” Dr. Grey ordered, grabbing the deliberator

“Will that work? She’s not human”

“Damn it! Three hundred! Three _sixty_. Ready? And…clear!”

The deliberator whined as it charged, Ultrawoman’s body jerking as the current try to shock her back to life

“Still in v-tac!”

“Four hundred! And…clear!”

“No change!”

“Five hundred, Doctor?”

“That could kill her!”

“Come on, damn you!” Suzy snapped “you’re the most stubborn person I know!” brushing the others away, she quickly climbing onto the gurney, and straddling Jordan’s chest, began chest compressions “breathe damn you! Breathe!” she snapped…


	11. Cease Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Enjoy! :=)

******

As Jordan Ellis lay in Blue Harbor General’s ICW a woman sitting in a non-descript office watched the news reports trickling in about Ultrawoman, getting angrier by the second

“ _…unconfirmed reports from inside the hospital tell us that Ultrawoman now remains in a coma. Crowds of thousands of people have shown up outside the hospital, many of them carrying banners with messages of support. So far, we have yet to receive any word on Ultrawoman’s condition. Equally more confusing and terrifying to many is Captain Dynamic’s sudden and vicious attack on Mother Mars, city officials wasted no time in declaring the former ace to be a public threat in the wake of the attack, and we’re told that the BHPD now have standing orders to arrest him on sight. Unconfirmed reports from witnesses who were on the Kent Island Bridge indicate that Captain Dynamic’s attack may have been pre-meditated, perhaps as part of a larger anti-ace scheme…_ ”

The woman angrily slammed a hand down on her desk

“Fuck!” she spat “just what we need” she sighed as the intercom buzzed

“ _Director Maddox, ma’am, the President wants an update_ ” an aid called out

“Tell that orange Nazi that I didn’t vote for him!” the woman retorted as she scowled at the screen, before cuing the intercom “Mary? Get me a car; I’m going to the hospital…”

******

**Blue Harbor General Hospital  
Intensive Care Ward**

Kate Ellis frowned at the headline in front of her as she sat shoulder to shoulder with her daughter. The headline was simple and to the point

**ULTRAWOMAN IS DEAD**

“It’s a tad morbid, Jill” Kate finally murmured

“Always be prepared, Mom” Jill murmured, swiping her finger across the tablet to bring up a second headline, which read simply ‘ULTRAWOMAN LIVES!’

The door quietly swung open, Suzy Corrigan cautiously peeking around

“Hi guys,” she said softly as she slipped inside “just need to check on her,” she explained as she went to the sole bed in the room. Jordan lay on the bed, still unconscious, the rash had begun to ease, but her skin still looked frighteningly pale, veins stood out in blue relief under her waxy looking skin, and although she was breathing on her own, her breath was labored somewhat, with a noticeable _wheeze_ to it.

Muttering to herself, Suzy made a mark on her clipboard before turning back to Jill and Kate “there’s someone who wants to see her, that all right?”

“Why ask us?” Jill wondered “I mean you snuck us in here, right now we don’t exist”

“You guys are her next-of-kin,” Suzy explained, she shrugged “alien or not, that to me means that you have a say in her treatment”

“Suzy,” Kate began “how are you handling this?” she asked

“What? Finding that out that my best friend is not only an alien but Ultrawoman?” Suzy joked, her smile felt flat and she looked away, avoiding Kate Elli’s piercing gaze “how do you think I feel? Confused”

“If it’s any consolation, Suzy,” Jill began “but I didn’t know until a few days ago myself”

“But…why hide?” Suzy wondered “I mean, lots of aces don’t bother hiding who they are”

“Shame,” Kate answered “after Cuba, after Dallas and poor Jack, she felt ashamed,” she explained “like she couldn’t do enough, like she shouldn’t do anything. So she stopped, she stopped being Ultrawoman and started being human”

“Hmm,” Suzy nodded, filing away that information for later “so, anyway,” she shook her head “the visitor?”

“Who is it?” Jill asked

“A woman and her daughter,” Suzy answered “I think they’re the ones who she saved on the bridge”

Kate and Jill glanced at each, before nodding

“Sure, Suz,” Jill said “send ‘em in”

“OK,” Suzy stuck her head out the door and beckoned someone inside. Jaime Olsen and her daughter Katie quietly slipping inside “don’t stay too long please,” Suzy requested “she needs her rest”

“Of course” Jaime nodded. Nodding back, Suzy gave the mother and daughter a critical eye before quietly slipping out. Leaving Jaime to puzzle over the presence of Kate and Jill

“Hello,” Kate stood up, wincing as her knees pulled a bit “I’m Kate Ellis, and this is my daughter Jill”

“Jaime Olsen,” Jaime replied, shaking hands with two woman “and this is Katie” she introduced, gently setting Katie down, where she quickly scampered over to the chair where Jordan’s and cape suit lay neatly folded, waiting for its owner to put it back on

“So, what’s your interest here?” Jill asked, her reporter’s instincts firing full blast “you’re not just here to say ‘thank you’.” she noted

“No,” Jaime admitted, she sighed and leaned, lowering her voice that Katie would hopefully not hear “Captain Dynamic, his suit, his armor….I designed it”

“Why?” Kate asked, gripping Jill’s arm to stop her passionate daughter from screaming at this woman

“I was an engineer for King Technologies originally,” Jaime explained “I built the suit in my spare time, I built it for myself originally,” she explained “I…wanted to be an ace, I wanted to help people. But my jerk of an ex-husband stole it,” she chuckled bitterly “it’s funny, the original prototype didn’t have any weapons” she remarked

“So, wait,” Jill shook her head “are you saying that Captain Dynamic is your husband?”

“ _Ex_ -husband,” Jaime emphasized “and yes, he is”

“How did you even build something like that?” Kate wondered “I remember reading somewhere that Dynamic’s armor is something like…twenty years ahead of what the military has”

“I’m a Tomorrow Person,” Jaime explained, she tapped her temple “a quantitative adaptive, to be exact. Basically, anything that I can think of, I can build, even if it’s technically ‘impossible’.”

“Neat” Jill remarked

“That’s one way of putting it”

The group turned almost as one to see Jordan weakly open her eyes

“You’re awake” Kate whispered tearfully as she rushed forward, firmly taking her sister’s hand

“I’m awake, Kate,” Jordan whispered, she smiled at Katie, who still stood by the chair, idly poking the armor “hi, Katie” she greeted

“Hi” Katie grinned shyly

“Jill, get Suzy” Kate ordered. Nodding, Jill quickly stuck her head out of the door and barked at the cop standing guard to get a nurse. In seconds Suzy burst into the room, gently brushing Kate aside before aiming a penlight at Jordan’s eyes

“How do you feel?” she asked

“Like I just got stabbed,” Jordan deadpanned, she gave Suzy a bittersweet smile “I’ve been worse Suzy” she said softly as she took the nurse’s hand, idly running her thumb across the back of her hand

“Dr. Ellis?” the group turned to see a woman standing in the doorway. She was about five feet tall, with dark skin and long black hair. A pair of bright, intelligent blue eyes twinkled as she walked in

“Dr., Ellis isn’t here” Suzy said smoothly

“Nurse Corrigan, I appreciate the effort,” the woman began “but, let’s not beat around bush here. I _know_ who all of you are, including the woman on the bed”

“Who are you?” Jordan asked, visibly tensing, while Jaime quickly gathered up Katie and held her close

“My name is ‘Maddox’,” the woman replied, coming to stop by Jordan’s bedside “I represent the ‘Department of Extra-normal Research and Defense’.” she explained

“Never heard of it” Jordan commented

“Normally you never would have,” Maddox remarked “but these are extenuating circumstances. The DERD was founded in 1939, a month after the U.S. Army Air Corps found tangible proof of a crashed UFO on the outskirts of Blue Harbor,” she smirked “ring any bells?”

“My pod” Jordan nodded, Maddox nodded

“We never found the ship or its occupant, but we did find enough scraps of metal and other materials to know that it wasn’t from Earth. The government was concerned about the possibility of an alien invasion and created the DERD to monitor any unusual or strange occurrences and events. In short, Doctor, that means you”

“So, now what? You’ve come to haul me off for study?” Jordan asked

Maddox smirked “My superiors would probably be tickled pink if I did that,” she admitted, then shook her head “but, no, I’m not here to hurt you, I’m not even here to tell you that we’re watching. No, I’m here to help you”

“Now that’s a laugh,” Jordan chuckled “ _how_ exactly can you help me?” she asked. In answer, Maddox reached into her coat and pulled out a metal box, opening it to reveal samples of what looked like obsidian, expect it looked shiner, seeming to glow from within somehow

“It’s dark matter,” Maddox explained “we recovered it from the crash site where your pod came down,” she shut the box and set it down on the bedside table “perhaps, Ms. Olsen here can figure out a way of creating some type of shielding for you” she suggested

Jordan slowly glanced from Maddox to the box and back “How do I know that I can trust you?” she asked

Maddox held out a hand “Read my mind” she offered. Frowning, Jordan winced and raised her arm, gripping the other woman’s hand tightly for a few seconds, before pulling back, looking tired and drained

“Jordan?” Kate gripped her shoulders, helping to ease her back down onto the bed

“She’s…she’s telling the truth” Jordan panted out. Kate looked between Jordan and Maddox, before finally asking one question

“Why?”

Maddox smirked “Your sister is the most powerful being on this earth, she’s inspired dozens of people, aces and normal people alike,” she explained “and she asks for nothing in return,” she smirked “if more Humans were like her, the world would be in a far better state, Ms. Ellis”

Kate smirked and nodded “My thoughts exactly” she remarked, Maddox smiled and nodded

“Well, I’ll you folks to it” she remarked, turning and quietly slipping out

“I like her,” young Katie spoke up “she’s nice” she proclaimed, which earned a few chuckles from the adults

“Guys?” Jill pulled out her buzzing cell phone, a stricken expression crossing her face “turn on the news” she instructed. Suzy grabbed the bedside remote and turned on the TV over the bed

“ _….those of you just tuning in, Captain Dynamic is attacking the Kent Island Particle Reactor,_ ” a jerky, grainy image of the Kent Island Particle Reactor was suddenly splashed across the screen, parts of the complex appeared to be on fire as the familiar red and blue of Captain Dynamic streaked around the complex easily dodging police gunfire “ _officials from King Technologies warn that if something isn’t done soon, the reactor may very well overload_ ” the reporter continued, just as the image flickered and went blank

“ _Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize, but we appear to lost the transmission from Kent Island,_ ” the anchor in the studio apologized “ _we can only hope that our crew on the ground there is safe and well_ ”

“Turn it off” Jaime pleaded quietly, Suzy shut off the TV, a stunned and horrified silence falling over the room

“I have to stop him” Jordan groaned as she struggled to sit up

“No! Absolutely not!” Kate gripped her arm “no! Damn it, you almost died last time!”

“Last time I wasn’t prepared,” Jordan countered “this time, I am”

“Right now you can barely stand!” Suzy spat “as you nurse, I am telling you---“

“Don’t tell me what to do, Suzy,” Jordan groaned “nobody _Human_ can tell me what to do!” she snapped

“Jordan…” Kate began

“ _My name is_ not _‘Jordan’!_ ” Jordan suddenly roared, a frightening amount of rage in her voice “I am J’or’Da’an! Warmaster of Armus!” she declared “ _ **AND I AM WAR ITSELF!!**_ ”

A stunned silence descended on the room as Jordan panted for breath, the defiant bellow seeming to sap what little strength she had. Slowly, Jaime approached the enraged alien, gently passing Katie to Kate

“Even wars have cease-fires” she said softly. Jordan groaned as she slumped back onto the gurney, holding a hand over her eyes as she started to quietly sob

“I can still hear my family’s screams,” she whispered hoarsely “every time I close my eyes I can _see_ it, I can see my home, my _world_ … _ **burning**_ ,” she shook her head “when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, all I could see was that it was happening _again_ , children crying out to their dead parents, mothers clutching their dead infants, praying to the Forge that it wasn’t true,” she looked up at the motley collection of people surrounding her bed, two women she considered family, a nurse who was her best friend, and a woman and her daughter who had been drawn into her orbit by sheer happenstance “I shouldn’t be here,” she whispered “I should have died with them! I should be burned with the rest of my world,” she took a ragged breath “that’s why I fight,” she explained “I don’t do it do be a hero, I do it so that no one will have to endure what I went through”

Slowly, Katie wriggled out of Kate’s gripped and approached the bed, looking up at Jordan with wide innocent eyes

“Do you want a hug?” she offered.

Jordan stared at her for a long moment before suddenly laughing. Smiling she sat up and reached out, gently scooping Katie up and into her arms, allowing the little girl to wrap her arms around her neck

“Thank you, Katie” she whispered…


	12. Failures

******

Eventually night fell and visiting hours at the hospital ended. Jaime was the first to leave, politely thanking Jordan for saving her (with Katie sweetly pressing a kiss to Jordan’s forehead in goodbye) before mother and daughter quietly slipping out of the room. Kate was next, citing her age and the fact that the retirement home didn’t like their residents staying out after dark (she _was_ almost ninety after all), followed shortly by Jill, who had complained good-naturedly about what a _‘media nightmare’_ the past’s day’s events had caused.

Now alone with her thoughts, Jordan sighed into the darkened room, summoning the images of her husbands and children to the forefront of her mind

 _’I’m sorry,’_ she thought _’I’ve failed you’_

She chuckled, remembering how T’i’m would laugh at that, his eyes twinkling, he had always enjoyed a good joke, was always up for a laugh. Her second husband, M’ra’on, had been a tad more reserved, even stoic, but even he would have smiled and laughed at the thought that she had ‘failed’ anyone, the same with her children, her darling daughters and her brave son, all of them would have laughed at that thought

 _’Mother,’_ her children would chorus _’you did not fail us’_

The door opened, breaking Jordan out of her thoughts

“Sorry,” Suzy apologized “just need to do one final check before I go off shift”

“That’s fine” Jordan nodded as Suzy examined her vitals. Jordan frowned up at Suzy “what is it?” she asked “what’s wrong?”

“What makes you think that something’s wrong?” Suzy asked

“You got that little…wrinkle you get whenever you’re uncomfortable” Jordan pointed to Suzy’s forehead

Suzy sighed “It’s…stupid” she muttered

“Now, come on, Suzy,” Jordan chuckled “I don’t anything you have to say would be ‘stupid’.”

Suzy raised an eyebrow “Oh really?” she challenged “all right, fine,” she huffed out a nervous breathe “yesterday, before the Bridge, I was thinking of—after we both got off work that is—of…asking you out”

Jordan merely rose an eyebrow “Like on a date?” she asked

“Yeah” Suzy mumbled

“Then ask” Jordan shrugged

“What?” Suzy stared at her

“Ask,” Jordan challenged “I’m not Human, Suzy,” she reminded the young nurse “I was raised in a society that accepted people for who they are”

“So, you’re…?” Suzy trailed off, not wanting to assume

“Homosexuality is a _Human_ concept, Suzy,” Jordan replied, she sniffed a little haughtily “my people were thousands of years beyond your petty little ‘gender roles’,” she explained, she smirked “so?”

“So what?”

“Are you going to ask, or are we going to keep beating around the bush like this all day? Because if we are, I have to say that I’ll last a _lot_ longer than you will”

Suzy took a breath “Willyougoouttodinnerwithme?” she asked in a rush

Jordan chuckled “Once I get out of this bed, yes”

Suzy laughed delightedly…

******

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Captain Dynamic calmly landed in an isolated rooftop. Smirking, he opened a nearby service hatch and climbed down a short ladder, emerging in a lavish penthouse apartment. Born ‘Geoff Gray’, he had never been a particularly smart student, not book smart at least, cunning, yes, conniving and devious, oh definitely, but never book smart, he had been the kid from the poor side of town, the one who always passed the homes of the well-to-dos and swore, no matter what that _that_ would be _him_ one day, that would be him with the nice house, the fast car, the beautiful wife.

But, like many people, he didn’t have the ambition to actually _work_ for it. Why spend hours studying to get good grades, when you could just convince some nerd to do your homework for you? That was his one true talent it seemed, blessed with natural good looks and a healthy dose of charm, as well as a mother who inflated his ego to no end as a boy, and he had developed a very manipulative personality, charming his way out of trouble with frightening ease.

He had charmed his teachers into giving him extensions on his schoolwork, charmed his parents to letting him sneak out to go visit his girlfriend, charmed the head cheerleader in to dating him, and charmed his ex-wife Jaime Olsen into showing him her prototype powered armor, even convinced her to give up the access code to the lab where she’d kept it stored, then all he had to do was file an anonymous compliment with King Technologies’ human resources department about an engineer on staff who was using company resources and time to work on her own project, and once Jaime had been fired, steal the suit.

Compared to that, convincing people that he was the dashing, somewhat dim-witted, but ultimately harmless flyboy ace had been utter child’s play.

Removing the armor’s helmet, he set it down and moved to the bar, opening a bottle of fine, vintage scotch. He didn’t really care for the taste, but it cost about a thousand dollars a bottle, and he liked the finer things in life.

“Working hard I see, Mr. Gray”

Spinning around, Gray scowled at the old man now sitting in one of his fine leather armchairs, a cane resting against the armrest. Keeping his expression neutral, Gray took a sip of the scotch

“What do you want, Crenshaw?” he demanded “I did what you asked, didn’t I?”

“What we asked,” the man known as ‘Crenshaw’—only one alias of many—began “was for you to _kill_ the Martian. I would think someone with even _your_ limited intelligence would be capable of completing such a task,” his lips twisted in disgust “you’re a _failure_ , Gray”

“Hey, I wounded the bitch,” Gray countered “do you know how hard that is?”

“We do not allow for half-finished work,” Crenshaw growled “and just what was that stunt at the particle reactor on Kent Island?” he demanded “destroying the city is _not_ one of our priorities”

“Relax, it’ll be fine,” Gray dismissed “the damn thing wasn’t even turned on yet”

“Gray,” Crenshaw growled, rising to his feet with a surprising amount of speed and grace that bellied his apparent age “you seem to forget who you are working for. We do not tolerate insolence”

Gray marched over to the other man, the boots of the armor clinking ominously on the hardwood floors

“And you seem to forget who’s got the badass suit, gramps” he warned

Crenshaw smirked, idly glancing at his watch and adjusting a dial. Instantly, Gray screamed as a powerful burst of electricity arced through the suit, forcing him to his knees

“You forget, Mr. Gray,” Crenshaw began, coldly indifferent to Gray’s screams of pain, or of how he writhed on the floor in agony “who helped you to acquire your wife’s suit in the first place,” sighing, Crenshaw adjusted the dial on his watch again, the electronics in the suit powering down, leaving Gray panting for breath, moaning in pain as smoke curled off the suit. Retrieving his cane, Crenshaw turned for the door

“One last chance, Gray,” he warned as he opened the door “fail us again, and you had better _beg_ the Martian to kill you…”


	13. Armor, Part One

******

**Blue Harbor General Hospital**

The next morning, as the sun struggled to pierce through the thick early morning fog that blanketed the city, Suzy Corrigan quietly tipped-toed into Jordan’s room. It was early, slightly too early for her to began her shift, but she wanted to check up on Jordan. Gently easing the door shut she frowned as she caught sight of the armor still neatly folded on the chair. Giving in to temptation, Suzy walked over and gently picked it up.

It was lighter then she expected, with a weight only slightly heavier than cotton, made up of thousands of tiny scale-like plates which formed a solid, yet extremely flexible, chainmail-like mesh that shimmered in the light; becoming either a bright blue or a deep midnight, depending on what angle it was viewed from. The entire thing seemed to be formed out of one piece of material, with the only opening at the neck and part of the shoulders, forming a seam where the cape attached to.

The built-in boots and gauntlets seemed to be slightly thicker then the rest of the suit, the mesh seemed to be ‘woven’ into a tighter and thicker pattern, as had the areas covering he knees, shoulders, and torso, making them slightly stiffer than the rest of the suit. Looking at it from a nurse’s viewpoint Suzy suddenly saw why: protection of the body’s weak spots, if she was assuming that Martians were built in the same way as Humans were, then it stood to reason that they’d need similar forms of protection while in combat.

From the suit’s waist, a short, triangular skirt-like flap of the material hung over the groin area, although whether it was just decorative or an added layer of protection, Suzy couldn’t say. The tear in the abdomen was no longer there, and Suzy assumed that the suit had some kind of self-repair ability.

Examining the rest of the suit, Suzy found what looked like scrollwork running down the sides of the suit, from just under the arms to the ankles of the boots, in fact a large portion of the suit seemed to be decorated with tiny glyphs, although what they meant or signified Suzy had no clue. But what was most surprising about the suit was how it looked up close.

From afar it looked unblemished, the glimmer of the scales made it seem like it had been made yesterday, but seeing it up close, Suzy could see tiny scratches; the individual scales were pitted and worn. This was truly _armor_ , Jordan didn’t wear it for show, she wore it for battle. It had been made for, and had seen, _war_ , Suzy could easily see Jordan wearing it in some battle on some distant planet.

Setting the armor down again, Suzy fingered the cape. It was made of a similar material to the armor, but was less metallic in appearance, looking more like actual cloth, having less of a shimmer to it and a lighter feel. It was long, probably ankle-length on someone Jordan’s height, with two ‘straps’ hanging off one end, allowing the cape to fasten onto the suit.

“Unreal” she muttered

“Combatskin”

Suzy jumped to see Jordan looking up at her, smirking

“What?” Suzy asked

“Combatskin,” Jordan nodded to the armor “that’s what it’s called”

“Oh,” Suzy nodded, feeling her face heat up “s, sorry,” she stammered “I was just…”

“It’s all right, Suzy,” Jordan smiled “you were curious, its only natural” she dismissed

“How,” Suzy gestured to the armor “how _old_ is this thing?”

“Ancient,” Jordan answered “by Earth’s calendar, it’s at least three thousand years old,” she explained “passed down from the very first Warmaster all the way to me”

“Three _thousand_ years?” Suzy repeated “Jesus, this thing should be in a museum,” she breathed, she frowned when Jordan snorted “what? I say something funny?”

“No,” Jordan shook her head “it’s just…you, Humans I mean, once something gets old—even if its still usable—you want to put it away, admire it, treat it as something precious,” she gestured to the suit “it’s _armor_ , it was made to be _used_ , not…locked away behind some glass case” she explained

Suzy frowned, considering Jordan’s words “You really are a warrior, aren’t you?” she finally chuckled

“Some species called us ‘warrior-poets’,” Jordan explained “we could raze an entire city to the ground, and yet weep at the trampling of a flower”

“Interesting resume,” Suzy muttered “so…what or who is a ‘warmaster’?” she asked

Jordan sighed “It’s hard to explain,” she began “see, we weren’t organized into large nations like here, instead we were more like…I guess ‘clans’ or ‘city-states’ would be the closest description. We all shared the same language, the same religious beliefs for the most part, the same culture, so we didn’t fight because of that, instead we fought over matters of honor, land, territory, things like that,” she took a breath “a ‘warmaster’ was the closest thing we ever had to a head-of-state, part king and general rolled into one”

“How did you get the job?” Suzy asked, fascinated by this insight into her friend’s past

Jordan shrugged “I was elected; we didn’t discriminate based on gender or race or rich or poor. We elected our leaders based on their merit, not on a political platform. If you could prove that you could do the job, you got it, simple; it didn’t matter if you were man or woman, as long as you were old enough to be a warrior and had won at least ten battles”

“Too bad we couldn’t do that with that idiot in the White House” Suzy snorted

“Hey, don’t look at me, I didn’t vote for him,” Jordan chuckled as Suzy’s cell phone buzzed “go on,” Jordan chuckled “I’m sure that I’m not your only patient”

Suzy chuckled “I’m still holding you to that dinner” she warned

“Oh, I’m quaking in my boots here” Jordan snorted as Suzy chuckled and slipped out of the room. Now alone, Jordan grunted as she awkwardly threw the covers back, swinging her legs off the bed, she was still a little sore and weak, but she couldn’t sit around anymore while that head case terrorized the city. Grimacing, she wrenched the IV free from her arm, the wound sealing up instantly, a little sunlight and she’d be good as new

Unhooking the various leads and sensors from her skin, she pushed up onto to her feet, wobbling slightly, but only slightly. Steadying herself, she held out a hand towards the armor, at her mental command the suit twitched, slithering off the chair, taking the cape with it as it lost almost all cohesion, forming into a large ‘puddle’ of shimmering blue scales on the floor. Slithering across the floor like a snake it quickly slithered up her legs to wrap itself around her, the shoulders stretching and shifting as the suit fastened the cape on itself, the edges of the cape brushing against Jordan’s ankles while the rest of the suit shifted slightly as it conformed to her shape.

Straightening her shoulders, Jordan felt that all-too familiar sense of power and confidence that came with wearing the armor. She was of the Hasha’han, the Warmaster of Armus, some idiot in a fancy suit of armor would _not_ get the best of her, would not stop her from completing her mission of protecting the Earth.

Looking around, her gaze fell on the small box of dark matter still sitting on the bedside table…

******

Entering the room fifteen minutes later, Suzy froze at the sight of the empty bed and the missing suit. Rushing forward, she pressed the alarm button, and as the alarm blared throughout the floor and the police officer on watch outside the room rushed in, she frowned at the small piece of paper sitting on the pillow, her name written on it in neat scrip

Looks like I might miss dinner. Sorry

It read. But Suzy smiled rather then scowled, she refused to be disappointed that Jordan was out there helping people, she refused to be one of those people who demanded that their significant other—not that she and Jordan had even reached that stage yet—quite their job for them. No, Suzy Corrigan would never want Jordan to stop being anything _but_ Ultrawoamn…

******

Jaime Olsen grunted as she lifted the door to the storage unit. What she was planning on doing was nothing short of dangerous, stupid, and would probably end with her being crippled or worse. But, as the image of Katie’s face flashed before her mind’s eye, she realized that this was something that she _had_ to do, for her daughter’s sake.

Moving deeper into the storage unit with far greater confidence then she actually felt, she rapidly unearthed a crate marked ‘PROPERTY OF KING TECHNOLOGIES’.

Opening it, she smirked as she saw its contents…

******

**Mount Lane**

Mount Lane was the name given to the large mounting overlooking the city. Named after one of the early European explorers, it was the tallest mountain in the area, second only to Mount Rainer. Having an almost vertical slope, it was also unique in that large sections of its peak were inaccessible by foot, hikers and mountain climbers could only get to certain points on the slope before having to stop, as the incline became too steep for most. Oftentimes the only way to reach the peak was by helicopter, but even that was risky, as strong headwinds and updrafts made piloting a helicopter too close to the slope incredibly risky.

In short, it was the perfect place to hide out.

Landing on a narrow outcropping of rock on an otherwise craggily and rocky area, Jordan smirked at the large set of oval doors in front of her, half-hidden by the overhang and by their similar, non-reflective color to the dark grey of the surrounding rock. Placing a hand on the surface of the doors, she waited as a shimmer of blue light scanned her hand, the doors slid open with a deep resonating _thud_.

Stepping inside, Jordan smiled as she took in the scope of the cavern. Carved into the mountain itself, the interior looked almost like something out of _Buck Rodgers_ , resembling a vast dome, a series of platforms and catwalks crisscrossed the vast space at varying heights, some simply ending in a circular platform suspended in the air, others leading deeper into the cavern. Scattered around the main level, tucked beneath transparent domes, like museum exhibits, were various objects. Some of them looked decidedly Human in origin, such as World War II recruitment poster featuring Jordan as Ultrawoamn, while others looked far more alien in design.

A hum made Jordan stop and turn around. A small, basketball-sized metallic sphere floated before her, it circled around her for a second before stopping

“ _Greetings, Warmaster_ ” it spoke in a tinny metallic feminine voice

Jordan smirked “Hello, Tau” she greeted

“ _It has been fifty-four solar rotations since you have entered the Citadel_ ” the sphere, Tau, commented

“I’ve been away for a long time, I know,” Jordan smirked “how are things on your end?”

“ _We are operating at fifty percent capacity,_ ” Tau replied “ _full power should be restored in forty-eight rotations. How may I assist you?_ ”

Jordan held up the box of dark matter and opened it “Do you recognize this?” she asked, a beam of blue light emerged from Tau’s form to swiftly scan the box's contents

“ _Affirmative,_ ” Tau replied “ _substance is identified as dark matter, highly toxic to Hasha’han_ ”

“I need a way to defend against it” Jordan explained

“ _Apologies, Warmaster, there is no know antidote to dark matter poisoning_ ”

Jordan groaned “Can you…find some way of shielding me from its effects then?” she asked

The sphere was silent for a long moment

“ _Possibly_ ” it finally answered…


	14. Armor, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update!

******

**Blue Harbor Park**

Blue Harbor Park was located in the relative center of the city, located in an area commonly known as ‘The Pipe’, near City Hall and the adjoining Harbor Square. Once a part of the city’s lucrative logging industry, The Pipe had fallen on hard times once the state passed laws restricting and regulating logging in the early-70s, amid a firestorm of bad press from the media due to rampant deforestation.

With the city’s main source of income gone, The Pipe fell into disarray, becoming at one point one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, some even went so far as to say that Ultrawoman’s disappearance had hand in The Pipe’s downfall, that she acted like a ‘good luck charm’ for the city. Naturally, the people who thought that were often dismissed as quacks or simply weird. Whatever the reason, The Pipe soon become synonymous with crime and poverty.

Then, in the mid-80s, due to a burgeoning tech boom bringing in fresh money and new residents into the neighborhood, attracted by the low rent, city leaders and civic-minded citizens took it upon themselves to _do_ something about what one councilman had called a _’disgusting, ugly, cancerous sore’_. To wit a massive civil planning project was undertaken, with a large majority of funds solicited through donations, with the city’s original park, Indigo Park, having long seen been bulldozed over to make way for new condominiums, city planners decided to resurrect the park in The Pipe, often using eminent domain to strong-arm longtime residents our of their homes.

Most of the apartment buildings and houses were quickly emptied, the area bulldozed over, and a new park established all within two years time. In 2001, the park underwent a renovation, creating more open spaces for people to relax in and, yes, shop. What was once a blight upon the face of the city, was now a major tourist destination, filled with shops and lovely views of the bay and the Pacific Ocean, and on a good day, you’d find a majority of the city’s population relaxing in the park.

It was a _very_ good day today.

‘Was’ being the operative word.

At just a little before noon, Captain Dynamic landed in the center of Harbor Square. People stopped what they were doing, some merely curious, who, despite having seen the news coverage of the fight on the Kent Island Bridge couldn’t quite believe that what they had seen was true, that there had to be another reason as to why their hero had attacked Ultrawoman. Others, those who did indeed believe the news reports, froze in terror.

BHPD Sgt. Anna Markowitz did neither. Although technically on break, she drew her pistol and approached the rogue ace

“Stay where you are, hands where I can see ‘em!” she ordered as she reached for her radio with her free hand “central, this is Sgt. Markowitz, I’ve got Captain Dynamic here in Harbor Square. Send backup immediately!”

“They’ll be too late to save you, honey,” Captain Dynamic grinned. In a lightening quick move, he swung out an arm, not only knocking the gun out of Anna’s hand, but knocking her off her feet. The force of the blow breaking her arm in two places almost-instantly. Gasping and grimacing, Anna struggled into a sitting position, feeling a shiver run down her spin as Dynamic loomed over her, a bright blue glow crackling along the suit’s palms “nothing personal, honey” he sneered as he raised one hand, the air around them both suddenly charged with static

“GRAY!!” another armor-clad figure slammed into the ground behind Dynamic

“What is this? A convention?” Anna muttered as Dynamic turned to face the newcomer. Clad in a heavier, bulkier-looking armor, the newcomer—if her exposed face was any indication—appeared to be a woman

“Hello, Jaime,” Dynamic hissed “see you’ve still got the prototype” he noted

“It’s over, Gray,” the woman barked out, a noticeable waver in her voice “give it up”

“Hmm, let me think about it…no” Dynamic suddenly lunged, slamming into the woman and knocking her back through two parked cars….

******

“ _Warmaster? The information you requested is now available_ ” Tau reported. Jordan turned as a section of the wall rippled, turning into a three dimensional, liquid metal projection of a news report

“ _….a second armored figure appeared just moments ago, and now appears to be battling Captain Dynamic,_ ” the reporter hurriedly explained as two armored figures brawled across Harbor Square, the smaller of the two clearly losing “ _at this time we are unsure of the ace’s identity, if indeed they even are an ace, but it appears to be a woman,_ ” the reporter continued “ _nor are we aware as to Ultrawoman’s current location_ ”

“There! Isolate and enhance!” Jordan ordered, instantly the projection rippled and reformed into an image of Jaime Olsen’s face rendered in solid mercury “damn it, Jaime, what are you doing?” Jordan demanded

“ _It appears that the female is attempting to fight the male_ ” Tau spoke up

“I wasn’t talking to you!” Jordan snapped, she turned back to the floating sphere “will it work?” she asked

“ _You require certainty, Warmaster?_ ” Tau questioned

“It’d be nice”

“ _Negative_ ”

“’Negative’ in that you’re not certain, or ‘negative’ in that it won’t work?”

“ _The former_ ”

“Well fuck” Jordan spat

“ _Your vernacular has shifted_ ” Tau noted

“It’s been a couple of pretty hectic decades, get used to it,” Jordan sighed, she glanced up at the hexagonal archway now standing before her, a swirling, rippling mass of blue-white light suspended within its confines “I need to get back out there” she snarled

“ _Negative, you must wait for the protective shielding,_ ” Tau warned “ _there is a secondary concern_ ” the AI added

“Great, go for it”

“ _In order to be properly effective, the shielding will block all physical contact,_ ” Tau began “ _however this will preclude your using your plasma discharges as well as reducing your exposure to solar energy, preventing you from replenishing your powers_ ”

Jordan sighed “So, I could be protected from the dark matter, but not have any strength to stand up to him”

“ _Correct_ ”

“Charming” Jordan drawled as an alarm chimed

“ _The shielding is ready, Warmaster_ ” Tau reported

“Right,” Jordan took a breath and stepped into the arch “here’s goes nothing” she muttered

“ _Final notice,_ ” Tau announced “ _there will be some…discomfort_ ”

Jordan suddenly screamed as a searing pain suddenly flared across her skin…


	15. Dark Matters

******

Jaime grunted as she tumbled across the pavement, the weight of the armor—heavier and bulkier that Gray’s—cracked and gouged the asphalt with each impact. Grunting, she struggled to get back up, the weight of the armor, although assisted by servomotors, made it difficult

“You never knew when to quit, did you?” Gray mocked as he calmly approached her, content it seemed to take his time, clearly thinking that she wasn’t worth the effort. Jaime ignored the taunt as she continued struggling to get upright, she had to get up, she had stop him: with Ultrawoman out of commission she was the only one who had even half a chance of stopping him

“Status?” she panted out

“ _Repulsors: OFF-LINE,_ ” the suit’s onboard computer reported “ _structural integrity compromised. Power levels at fifteen percent and falling_ "

Jaime snarled in frustration, the suit was a prototype, in addition to lacking any weapons whatsoever, it was also heavier, slower, and generally weaker than Gray’s, due in part to the fact that it was powered by rechargeable solar battery packs then whatever Gray was using to power his own suit, and Jaime had to wonder where he got the power source from.

Part of the reason why she had never donned the suit before now was the lack of a feasible compact power source, batteries, even solar-powered ones, could only go so far, diesel and gasoline engines were too bulky and heavy (not to mention polluting), and hydrogen power cells were too expensive.

Which begged the obvious question: who helped Gray steal the suit in the first place? Who supplied him with the dark matter? (An element that was so rare, that many scientists still thought that it was only theoretical), and, above all, why? Why help him?

Jaime turned at a sudden blast of gunfire. Watching as the female cop who Gray had attacked just before she’d arrived opened fire on him, her injured arm tucked in at her side as she fired at him one-handed, the bullets harmlessly bouncing off the armor. Jaime watched as the cop quickly placed herself between her and Gray, barking orders into her radio as she did

“ _SWAT team en route, ETA five minutes_ ” the dispatcher reported, Jaime felt her stomach drop away, they’d never get here in time, not before both of them were dead

“Tell ‘em to bring the National Guard!” the cop barked back as she struggled to reload her gun with only one hand

“Here” Jaime weakly managed to raise one arm and held the gun steady. The cop, whose nametag read ‘Markowitz’, smiled at her

“Thanks, sweetie,” she chuckled as she racked the gun’s slide back “how’re you doing?” she asked

“Not too good” Jaime replied, still struggling to get upright

“Just stay down, kid,” Officer Markowitz chuckled “dispatch, ETA?” she demanded

“ _ETA four minutes,_ ” the dispatcher replied “ _good luck, Sarge_ ”

“Likewise” Jaime muttered as Anna took aim again, even as Gray held out an arm, part of the gauntlet retracting to reveal what looked like a miniature Gatling gun

“Like I said,” he began as the cylinder began to slowly rotate; quickly building up speed “it’s nothing personal, honey,” he took aim at Jaime and Anna

There was a whoosh as a familiar figure dropped down in front of him, the bullets harmlessly ricocheting off a familiar suit of blue armor, now encased behind a blue-tinted crystalline shell. Straightening her shoulders, Jordan began to calmly march forward, the large-caliber bullets ricocheting off her to strike nearby parked cars and other structures. Now within arm’s reach, Jordan swung back a fist and easily punched the Gatling gun off the suit, it barked out twice more before clattering onto the asphalt.

“You’re just asking for it, aren’t you, Martian?!” Gray spat, another dark matter spike extending from the opposite gauntlet. With a roar, he drew back the arm and slammed the spike down at Jordan’s chest, but this time it struck the outer shell and harmlessly broke off, catapulting skyward to clatter down a nearby storm drain

Jordan smirked as Gray staggered back in shock

“My turn” she drew back a fist and soundly backhanded him across the street. Turning she nodded at Jaime and Anna, holding out a hand to the former

“Thanks” Jaime panted out as Jordan easily lifted her to her feet one handed

“When this is over, remind me to give you a lecture on how not to become an ace” Jordan commented

“SWAT team disengage, I repeat disengage!” Anna barked into her radio “Ultrawoman’s here” she reported as Gray staggered to his feet, the jets in the suit’s boots rocketing him forward, colliding with both Jordan and Jaime, knocking Jaime off her feet once again, but only succeeding in making Jordan stagger slightly

“ _Structural integrity of carapace compromised. Dark matter exposure: four percent. User’s solar charge dropping,_ ” Tau reported as the caprice began to crack under the rain of blows that Gray was hammering down on Jordan “ _carapace weakening. Dark matter exposure: ten percent….fifteen percent. Carapace weakening, cellular solar charge falling_ ”

Jordan swung out an arm, delivering a hard blow to Gray’s left shoulder, striking the weak point that Jaime had mentioned, the force of the blow sent him careening back, even as the shell around Jordan’s hand shattered

“ _Carapace compromised, use of plasma discharge is recommended_ ”

Thrusting out her exposed hand, Jordan fired off a stream of crimson energy towards Gray, the force of the blast throwing him onto his back before he slid violently down the street, tearing up massive chunks of asphalt before he slid to a stop. With him temporarily down, Jordan hurried over to Jaime

“What other weaknesses does that armor have?” she demanded as she hauled Jaime upright again “come on! Think!”

“Icing!” Jaime gasped “if he climbs past a certain altitude, the suit will freeze over and it’ll shut down, I could never fix that problem”

“Good to know” Jordan panted out, even a weakness began to creep into her bones

“ _Alert, cellular solar charge falling,_ ” Tau announced “ _full depletion of solar charge in…five minutes_ ”

“Screw this!” Jordan twisted at the waist, the carapace cracking. Grunting she put her exposed hand on her chest and began tearing at the covering, the shielding splintering violently under grip

“ _Alert, removal of carapace will result in a loss of dark matter shielding,_ ” Tau warned “ _do not attempt_ ”

“Tau?” Jordan panted out

“ _Yes, Warmaster?_ ”

“Shut up!” with a growl, Jordan thrust her arms up, the shielding shattering completely. Panting, she staggered over even as a golden glow began to shimmer under her skin, her body rapidly replacing the depleted solar energy. Feeling her strength rapidly return, she straightened to her full height and glanced at Jaime “you said you wanted to be an ace?” she asked

“All my life” Jaime replied

“Well, now’s your chance,” Jordan replied, she smirked at the shorter woman “what do you say?”

“Count me in,” Jaime grinned as she straightened up. Turning, they both faced Gray, who was beginning to drag himself upright, while a fleet of police cruisers pulled up, the officers swiftly struggling to evacuate the panicked crowds of civilians as Gray finally got to his feet, staggering as his left arm suddenly went limp, the weight of it dragging him down as arcs of electricity sparked and crackled along the shoulder “told you” Jaime grinned

With an audible growl, Gray suddenly shot upwards, disappearing into the sky

“Well…,” Jaime began “that was…anticlimactic”

“He’ll be back,” Jordan noted grimly “and this time, we’re going to have some help” she growled…

******

**Department of Extra-normal Research and Defense  
Location: CLASSIFIED**

Director Maddox scowled as she examined the large screen in front of her, still image of Jaime’s fight with Geoff Gray/Captain Dynamic were splashed across the screen, taken from multiple sources and different angles

“ _Director Maddox, I hope you have an explanation for this,_ ” Senator Brandt, head of Congress’ Committee on Ace Affairs and Activities and one of the few people in the government to know about the DERD’s existence, growled out over the video call “ _your organization was created to monitor aces, so how is it that you were unaware of Captain Dynamic’s criminal behavior?_ ” he demanded

“Senator,” Maddox began “if you’ll recall, I strongly recommended that we monitor Geoffrey Gray closely”

“ _Your point, Director?_ ” Brandt growled out

“You overruled me, sir,” Maddox replied “told me that Gray was a…how did you put it? Oh, yes, a ‘better choice than that alien’, because ‘he would most likely act in America’s interests rather than against them’,” she smirked “now, you tell me, Senator, who do you think is a better choice now?”

“ _The Martian is not at issue here, Director,_ ” Brandt growled out “ _your conduct in failing to contain Gray is. And what is this I hear about you willingly giving Ultrawoman a sample of dark matter?_ ” he demanded “ _that material is the only defense we have against her_ ”

“On the contrary, Senator, 'the Martian' _is_ at issue here,” Maddox countered “without her help, we might all be saying ‘Heil Hitler’ right now,” she frowned “tell me, Senator, why don’t you trust Ultrawoman? Is it because she’s not American? Or because she’s a woman?”

Brandt visably ground his teeth together

“ _Consider yourself warned, Maddox,_ ” he finally spat out “ _contain Gray_ now _or we’ll find someone who will_ ”

“I’ll take that under advisement, sir,” Maddox replied “out” as soon as the call ended she groaned and rubbed at her temples

“ _Director Maddox, ma’am?_ ” Mary, her aid, paged her “ _you have someone requesting to see you_ ”

“Tell them to wait, I’m busy” Maddox replied as she dug around in her desk drawer for a bottle of ibuprofen or a bottle of scotch. Either one

“ _Uh…I don’t think this one will wait, ma’am_ ” Mary called back as the door suddenly shook in its frame. The door was eight feet thick, made of solid steel door lined with lead, and was claimed by its designers to be able to withstand even a ‘glancing’ blow from a nuclear warhead. Despite that, the door suddenly began to buckle, creaking and groaning

“Ma’am?” one of the guard’s questioned as he held his rifle up, taking aim at the rapidly buckling door

“Stand down” Maddox sighed

“Ma’am?” the guard questioned, his voice sounding slightly hysterical this time

“Stand down,” Maddox repeated as the door suddenly gave way, breaking off its hinges to literally _bounce_ across the room, colliding with far wall with a deafening crash “STAND DOWN!” Maddox bellowed out as the guards swarmed forward towards the doorframe, rifles at the ready “do not engage! _**Do. Not. Engage!**_ ” she took a breath as she addressed the person now standing in the doorway “Dr. Ellis, won’t you come in?” she drawled “or do you prefer ‘Ultrawoman’ when you’re wearing that?” she gestured to the blue armor

“Don’t be cute, Maddox, people are dying” Jordan countered as she stalked inside, her cape rustling behind her

“I’m never cute,” Maddox countered “and people always die, it’s a fact of life,” she nodded at an agent “agent Bryce, won’t you get the lady a drink?”

Agent Bryce took a half step forward and then froze at the withering glare Jordan sent him

“Uh…I don’t think she wants one, ma’am” he croaked out, shuffling back to stand as far away from the Martian as possible

“Did you supply Gray with dark matter?” Jordan demanded of Maddox

“Dark matter isn’t exactly something that is regulated by the government,” Maddox replied “for one thing it's so rare that most people think it doesn't even exist. There are any number of organizations or foreign governments out there who could have supplied it to him and would love to see you lying on the ground gasping for air”

“Don’t blow smoke, Maddox,” Jordan growled “yes or no?”

“No,” Maddox began slowly “the DERD did _not_ supply Geoffrey Gray with dark matter, nor did we know that he was planning on going rogue”

“Well in that case,” Jordan began as she stopped directly in front of the other woman “you won’t mind helping me…”


	16. Fire in the Sky

******

“This is it?” Jaime asked, flipping through the incredibly thin file in front of her “I could tell you more about him” she exclaimed

“I’m sorry, Ms. Olsen,” Maddox apologized “that’s it,” she shrugged “this isn’t the USSR, you know. Even though most aces don’t hide their real identities, they aren’t required to register with the government” she reminded the other woman

“Could have fooled me,” Jordan drawled, eyeing the guards surrounding her and Jaime, who all eyed their guns every couple of seconds “secret government agencies given carte blanche to do whatever they want in the name of ‘national security’? Sounds an awful lot like Stalin’s Russia”

“Didn’t the Soviets threaten to shoot you down if you flew over their airspace after Cuba?” Jaime wondered

“They did,” Jordan nodded “although,” she began “I don’t know if that policy is still in effect with _glasnost_ and _perestroika_ having become official Party policy”

“If we could get back on topic, ladies?” Maddox drawled “now, we may not have that much information on your ex-husband, Ms. Olsen, but we do have some information on his beliefs,” she held out a file “we think he’s part of a larger movement who oppose aces. They generally believe that aces are a menace to society,” she explained “a bunch of loose cannon vigilantes who do more harm than good”

“I’ve heard of them,” Jordan nodded “they were legitimate at first, worried about vigilante justice,” she recalled “but then, as aces got more and more legitimate…”

“…the opposition started to attract the more rabid elements of society” Maddox finished

“And most of the aces I knew back in the Fifties were far-left liberals,” Jordan recalled “many of them actually _were_ communists, or at the very least leaned that way”

“…and/or gay, and in your case, Doctor, a woman and an alien,” Maddox added “in short, people who didn’t conform”

“Where do you fit in?” Jaime wondered. Maddox shrugged

“I think people need something to look up to, something to aspire to, even if they’ll never actually reach it, a beacon, a light to guide the way. And I think that beacon of light is _you_ , Doctor”

“I’m not a hero,” Jordan shook her head “I just try to do the right thing”

“Maybe,” Maddox agreed “but to the rest of the world, you’re a symbol, an idol; proof that we can all be ‘super’ if we just try a little”

Jordan snorted “I think you’re delusional, Maddox”

“And I think that you’re still so wrapped up in your mistakes that you can’t see how much _good_ you’ve done,” Maddox challenged “you helped to defeat Hitler, you’ve saved countless people. And you do it all without ever asking for anything in return,” she blushed and looked away, avoiding Jordan’s gaze “I am awed to be in your presence,” she admitted. She cleared her throat awkwardly “anyway, getting back on topic,” she picked up a small remote control and aimed it at the large screen on the wall “we analyzed the radiation signature left behind from Gray’s attack on you on the bridge and found out that he’s not just lining his suit with dark matter, he’s using dark matter to power it as well”

“Wonderful” Jordan groaned

“If you can remove the core from his suit, it’ll shut down” Maddox explained

“But we have to do it without breaching the core’s containment field” Jordan began

“…otherwise you’ll nuke half the city” Maddox nodded

“Boy, you two are just _barrels_ of fun” Jaime muttered as an alert pinged, the satellite image of the city on the screen zeroing in on City Hall

“What’s that?” Jordan asked

“We’ve been monitoring the radiation signature since we first picked it up,” Maddox explained “we just got a hit”

Jordan looked at Jaime “You up for it?” she asked

“Hell yeah” Jaime grinned

“We’ll have a team standing by if you need it” Maddox called out as they turned to leave

“Here’s hoping we won’t” Jordan grumbled…

******

**Blue Harbor City Hall**

Built in 1885, Blue Harbor’s city hall was only three stories tall, tiny compared to the multistory skyscrapers that surrounded it. The helipad that Jordan and Jaime landed on was a fairly recent addition, added in the mid-60s. Looking around, both women frowned as a small, sleek black drone floated over to them

“ _You’re late_ ” Gray’s voice commented from the drone, the drone suddenly opened fire on the two women, the bullets ricocheting off their armor without effect (although it did scare Jaime half to death). Gray audibly chuckled “ _see,_ he began “ _I’ve got dozens of these little beauties all over the city_ ” he explained just as a loud, far-off explosion rippled through the air

“What did you do?” Jaime demanded

“ _You know, the FAA still hasn’t passed a bill restricting how high drones can go?_ ” Gray replied as a high-pitched whine pierced the air. Looking up she watched as a jetliner, one engine clearly on fire, began to rapidly fall “ _you’ve got a plane to catch_ ” Gray quipped

Jordan smirked “That was a bad pun,” she noted “here’s a better one,” she suddenly threw out a hand, a plasma discharge striking the drone dead on, destroying it. She turned to Jaime “I’ll get the plane, you get the drones” she said simply

“Wait, _what?!_ ” Jaime squeaked

“You can do it, Jamie” Jordan encouraged as she took off with a bang and a streak of red light, rocketing across the sky, heading for the falling plane…

******

Jaime grunted as the g-forces rocked her from side to side inside the suit, the suit could allow her to fly like Jordan (more or less), but steering it was harder than it looked. Right now, she very probably looked like an overgrown red and blue bumblebee

 _’Please don’t let ‘bumblebee’ by my ace name’_ she thought with a grimace as the suit scanned for anything resembling the drone that Gray had shown them

“Come on,” she groaned “find the drones” she pleaded as the suit’s HUD rapidly scrolled through various RF signals around the city

“ _Signal found,_ ” the computer announced “ _Lake Street_ ”

“OK,” Jaime took a breath as she rounded the corner, finding at least a dozen or so of the military-grade drones now menacing a crowd of people outside a coffee shop “you can do this,” Jaime told herself. Grunting, she launched the suit at the first drone, grabbing it by one hand and, since the suit lacked weapons, used its weight and gravity to drag the drone into the pavement, where it broke apart on impact as she slammed it into the ground

“One down,” she muttered as the other drones swiftly surrounded her “only a dozen more to go…”

******

Meanwhile, onboard the crippled 737, the pilots struggled to keep the plane level. Captain Edmund Ryan felt his knuckles turn white as he wrestled with the controls

“Mayday, mayday, Blue Harbor tower, Fight 459 in uncontrolled descent. Were attacked by some kind of UAV and have lost one engine, repeat, we have lost one engine” he reported their situation to the tower while trying to steer the plane over the water

“We’re not going to make it” the co-pilot moaned, a rookie, it was the poor soul’s first day on the job. What a way to start the day, Edmund thought darkly as the plane jolted, the distant terrified screams of all one hundred and thirty passengers reaching his ears from just on the other side of the cockpit door

“We’ll make it,” Edmund swore, even as another explosion rocked the plane. A glace at the indicator board confirmed Edmund’s worst fear; two more engines had failed, leaving the plan with only one engine. He gripped the controls tighter, there! The water! Almost there! But, suddenly the plane began to descend too rapidly, the nose beginning to dip; they were coming in far too steep.

They’d never make it to the water in time

“ _Blue Harbor Tower to Flight 459, radar has just picked up an unidentified object approaching you from the stern_ ” the tower reported over the radio. Edmund cringed, probably their attacker back to finish the job

“Flight attendants! Brace for impact!” he barked into the intercom, cringing as another jolt rocked the plane, from below this time

“We’re leveling off!” the co-pilot suddenly gasped out

 _”Wishful thinking, kid,’_ Edmund thought, but…no, they were indeed leveling off, they were still descending, still falling from the sky, but at a much slower, more controlled rate “what the fuck?” Edmund swore “did we just get our engine back?” he wondered as the radio crackled to life again

“ _Hello? Is anyone there?_ ” a woman’s voice called out, her voice noticeably strained, almost as if she was struggling to lift something heavy and trying to talk at the same time

“This is Captain Edmund Ryan,” Edmund replied “who is this?” he demanded

“ _Flight 459, Tower, it’s not us_ ” the tower reported

“ _This is Ultrawoman_ ” the voice replied

“ _Holy shit_ ” the air traffic controller at the tower swore as Edmund and his co-pilot stared at each other, matching expressions of shock and awe on their faces. Feeling slightly gobsmacked, Edmund struggled to replied

“We read you, Ultrawoman,” he managed, pleased that his voice didn’t waver “uh…what can we do you?”

“ _I’m setting you down on the water,_ ” Ultrawoman explained “ _brace yourselves_ ”

“Acknowledged,” Edmund gasped, cueing the intercom for the main cabin again “flight attendants, brace for water landing”

“ _Uh, Ultrawoman, Tower, you’re too close to Kent Island,_ ” the tower announced as Kent Island suddenly loomed large in the cockpit’s windows, Edmund could swear that he could see the people inside their homes “ _pull up!_ ” the tower ordered frantically “ _pull up! Pull up now!_ ”

“ _What do you think I’m trying to do?!_ ” Ultrawoman snapped as the plane roared over the island to _slam_ down onto the water on its belly. The force of the impact knocked the flight crew around the inside of the cabin like pinballs.

Panting as the plane suddenly came to a stop, Edmund hurriedly strapped his harness and rushed out into the cabin, stooping to help one flight attendant to his feet “Everyone all right?!” he called out as the cabin door suddenly let out a groan before breaking free from the fuselage. Edmund felt his heart stammer in his chest as a wet but still imposing-looking Ultrawoman gently floated into the cabin. She looked around, absently brushing her wet hair away from her face as she did so

“Is everyone all right?” she asked as Edmund and even the passengers and flight crew simply _stared_ at her, many, Edmund himself, simply not believing that she was really here

“I think so” Edmund finally answered, snapping out of the trance, as he and still-dazed looking flight began to help passengers into life vests and onto the inflatable emergency slide, now being used as an impromptu raft. Ultrawoman herself, without a word began to help in this endeavor as well, helping to carry out some of the larger passengers, as well as the smaller ones. Edmund smiled at the image of a little boy, no older than say four or five, got a piggy-back ride from the alien ace while she carried the boy’s parents out to the water

“Are there any pets or animals aboard?” Ultrawoman asked as she came back in, helping Edmund to carry an elderly woman out

“I don’t know, might be” Edmund answered. He jumped back as she simply slammed a fist into the floor and easily tore open a hole into the cargo hold like the plane was made of tinfoil. She dropped down through the hole and then emerged carrying a frightened-looking German Sheppard, easily hefting the animal as if she was holding a Chihuahua

“Shh, shh,” she soothed, gently brushing the animal’s ears “easy, easy, you’re all right, that’s a good boy,,” and, as Edmund watched, the frightened dog calmed, relaxing in her grip almost to the point of falling asleep. Catching Edmund’s eye as she floated past, she smirked “it’s a Martian thing” she shrugged as she placed the dog into one of boats that were starting to arrive, some were coast guard, but most were just ordinary citizens who’d been enjoying a day on the water

“That’s everyone,” Edmund reported as he emerged last, strapping on his life vest, only for Ultrawoman to calmly lift him up under the arms and carry him over to one of the waiting boats, which, unfortunately, happened to be a garbage barge, but of course, beggars couldn’t be chasers “thank you, for everything” Edmund said as she gently set him down, landing on the edge of the hull and balancing there as of she’d been standing on the sidewalk

“Don’t mention it,” she dismissed, she frowned suddenly, almost as if listening to something “fuck!” she spat, and before Edmund could say a word, she took off in a gust of wind and a streak of red light. Leaving Edmund with one thought

_”This beats meeting the President by a long shot…’_

******

“ _One hundred yards right…fifty yards left…half yard right…power levels now at sixteen percent and falling…half yard left_ ”

Jaime grunted as the drones kept swarming around her, either shooting her or simply dive-bombing her like miniature kamikazes, damaging the armor each time they exploded, leaving her to mostly simply try to usher people away and then run like hell as a seemingly-endless swarm of drones assaulted her

 _’Nobody had better put this on YouTube,’_ she though darkly _’I can just see the title now ‘epic fail, new ace gets butt kicked by a bunch of stupid drones’!’_ she grunted as the latest explosion knocked her of feet. One advantage of being a walking target was that it seemed to be drawing the drones’ attention away from the dozens of innocent civilians surrounding her.

Grunting as she struggled to get to her feet, Jaime suddenly cringed as a series of five, bright beams of crackling crimson energy suddenly streaked down from the sky, striking and obliterating the five drones surrounding her. Wincing as her eyes struggled to adjust as a result of the almost-blinding light, Jaime watched as Jordan floated above her.

The remaining drones paused in their assault on Jaime and swiftly launched themselves at Jordan

“ _Power levels now at five percent_ ” the suit announced as Jaime struggled to get up, the suit suddenly feeling heavier than it had before

“No, no, no, come on, come on! Don’t do this! Not now!” she cried

“ _Power levels now at two percent…one percent…shutting down_ ”

Jaime grunted as the now-unpowered suit suddenly dragged her back down to the pavement, leaving her to helplessly watch as Jordan fended off the remaining drones, crimson spheres of light surrounding each of her hands as she viciously smashed them all to pieces. Finally grabbing the last one, she tore its weapons systems off and its propellers, leaving the sensor array the only part left intact

“You wanted a fight, Gray?” she snarled “well, congratulations, you got one. Meet us on Kent Island in two hours. We’re going to end this. One way or another”

With that she crushed the array into dust…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas for Jaime's superhero name? Let me know :=)


	17. Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle. Who will come out the victor?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Enjoy! :=)

******

**Mount Lane, the Citadel**

Jaime hurried after Jordan, pausing to appreciate the alien architecture surrounding her as Jordan slung the now-dead suit onto a metal table of sorts

“Tau?” she called out

“ _Yes, Warmaster?_ ” the sphere floated over, pausing to circle around Jaime

“Tau, stand down, she’s a friend” Jordan ordered

“ _Compliance,_ ” the sphere floated over to Jordan “ _how may I assist you, Warmaster?_ ”

“I need you to upgrade this,” Jordan patted the suit “specifically, its power source and defensive capabilities,” she glanced at Jaime “no weapons, right?” she asked

“Huh?” Jaime tore her eyes away from the floating sphere to look at her “oh, yeah, right, no weapons”

Tau floated over the suit, a beam of blue light scanning it

“ _A type-one combatskin,_ ” it identified “ _most primitive_ ” it noted

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Jordan groaned “can you do it or not?”

“ _Yes, Warmaster_ ”

“Good. We need it ready in two hours” Jordan nodded

“ _Compliance_ ” Tau extended another beam of light, which surrounded the suit, allowing the sphere to easily lift it and carry off into the depths of the Citadel

“That was,” Jaime began “…a talking metal ball”

“That’s ‘Tau’,” Jordan replied “she kind of runs the whole place here”

“Where did all this _come from?_ ” Jaime exclaimed as she looked around the room

“Actually,” Jordan began “from that” she pointed to a small, teardrop-shaped structure which hung suspended high above them from the relative center of the dome

“What is that?” Jaime asked

“That’s the pod I arrived in,” Jordan explained “it built all of this as a sort of…base for me”

“Nanotechnology?” Jamie asked, squinting up at the pod

“I guess,” Jordan shrugged “to tell you the truth, I don’t really know,” she admitted “I’m a warrior, not a scientist,” she gave Jaime a pat on the shoulder “come on” she said, leading Jaime deeper into the Citadel

“Uh, where are we going?” Jaime asked uncertainly

“I’m going to teach you how to be more than just a walking target” Jordan explained…

******

**Blue Harbor Tribune**

“ _It’s being called the ‘fight of the century’. In less than a hour, Ultrawoman and Captain Dynamic are set to duke it out on Kent Island in what many fear may be a fight to the death…_ ”

Jill Elli scowled up at the screen before turning back to her assembled staff

“All right people, damage control, we need to put a lid on this right now,” she ordered “start talking with the mayor’s office and the BHPD, see if we can at least get more information about this,” her lips twist unpleasantly “fight” she finished

“Uh, chief?” one reporter raised his hand “what about the other ace? The girl in the armor?”

“We’ll deal with that later” Jill dismissed, already brainstorming names for Jaime…

******

Jaime grunted as she hit the mat-like structure beneath her

“Again” Jordan ordered

“Oh, you’re a sadist” Jamie panted out as she nevertheless climbed to her feet. In the past hour she had been learning some type of Martian martial art with an unpronounceable name, apparently designed to work with superhuman speed, strength and durability, it would, according to Jordan, be more effective in her suit.

Still wincing, Jaime climbed to her feet and faced her opponent, a shimmering, ghostly, hologram. Which, as she had already found out, was all too _solid_ to be just a simple projection. Although she could never hope to pronounce the name of the fighting style she was using, or even hope to defeat Jordan in hand-to-hand using it, she found that she was actually picking up the techniques surprisingly easily, she had already learned how to block and deflect blows, as well as land her own, and even how to disarm an opponent armed with a deadly weapon.

She could only hope that she could remember all of this during actual combat

“ _Warmaster,_ ” Tau suddenly called out “ _the Human’s combatskin is ready_ ”

“Understood,” Jordan replied “cancel simulation,” she ordered, the hologram vanished as she gave Jaime a tight smile “we’d better get going” she said…

******

**Kent Island**

Kent Island was not part of Blue Harbor when the city had first been founded. Built during the Great Depression using dredged up material from the seabed, the island first served as a Navy base during the war, later, with the Allied victory and the post-war economic boom, as well as government restructuring, vast tracts of land on the island were sold by the Navy to private developers to build housing for returning G.I.s and their families. With the construction of the Kent Island Bridge, and the draw of green lawns and a place for kids to play, many new families flocked to the island, causing its population to double, and it was estimated that, at one point, nearly half of the city lived on the island.

In 1990, King Technologies purchased a large tract of land in order to build its highly-publicized particle reactor, which the company boasted could provide power to the entire city in only its first half hour of activation. Today, the island was home to about ten thousand people, most of them families, as well as a branch of the Blue Harbor Port.

Jaime Olsen had been born and raised there, as had her daughter.

Landing next to Jordan, she took a breath and examined her upgraded suit. Now colored a deep, navy blue, the suit was slimmer, conforming to Jaime’s shape easier, it was lighter too, having been upgraded with some type of lightweight, durable Martian alloy and powered by a ‘crystalline cold fusion reactor core’ whatever the hell that was

“Think he’ll show?” she wondered as Jordan absently rolled her shoulders beneath her cape

“He’ll show” Jordan answered grimly as they looked around the empty area surrounding the Kent Island Particle Reactor. Following Gray’s attack on the reactor, the Island had been evacuated due to fears of a containment failure and possible explosion. As a result, the island’s population of ten thousand was now all in Blue Harbor proper, leaving the island deserted, making the perfect place to hold a no-holds barred fight without risking causalities.

With a whoosh, Gray landed in front of them, his armor, unlike Jaime’s, was noticeably scuffed and scratched. Clearly he hadn’t had time to clean up since their last fight

“Back for more I see” Gray taunted

“One last chance,” Jordan began “surrender”

“No, this is _your_ last chance,” Gray challenged “you think that you can stop me, Martian?” he spat “you can’t even _touch_ me!”

Jordan smirked “I don’t need to touch you,” she said simply, a shimmering sphere of crimson light suddenly enveloping her each of her hands. With a primal yell, she launched herself into the air, slamming her fists down on his armor, and this time, the dark matter didn’t affect her as Gray went tumbling across the pavement

Jordan looked down at her still-glowing hands, the plasma energy having shielded her hands from coming into direct, physical contact with the dark matter “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before” she muttered as Jaime launched herself at Gray, slamming into him with a hard kick as he got to his feet, propelling herself upwards again, Jaime jumped onto his back, working her fingers into the suit’s collar, ripping out a handful of wires just before he managed to shrug her off, pinning her to the ground as Jordan punched him in the head, knocking him away from Jaime

“You all right?” Jaime asked as she climbed to her feet

“Yes,” Jordan nodded “you?”

“Good,” Jaime held up the handful of wires “I just ripped out his targeting systems, he can shoot at us all he wants, but he’ll be firing blind”

“Cleaver” Jordan acknowledged as Gray suddenly shot into the air, streaking across the sky, heading directly for the city

“Let’s go” Jaime launched herself after him, Jordan following close behind as they flew after him. Smirking, Jordan shot forward, quickly outpacing Gray and overtaking him. Shooting straight up, she smirked as he began to follow her, while Jaime followed him. Climbing higher and higher, Jordan could feel the air getting colder, and she could see ice crystals beginning form on Gray’s suit, grunting in surprise as he suddenly seized her ankle, yanking her down and holding her in a bear hug

“Nice try, Martian,” he sneered “but you’re no match for this suit!” he boasted

“Really?” Jordan mocked “so, you’ve solved the icing problem then?”

“Icing problem?” Gray echoed, just as the suit suddenly stiffened, a sheet of ice quickly clouding over the helmet's transparent visor as the suit's jets shut down and it began to enter freefall

“You might want to read the manual before you steal something” Jaime piped up as she emerged behind Gray, smashing her fists down on his immobilized arms, the thin film of ice shattered, freeing Jordan as Gray, no longer able to activate the suit’s jets, plummeted back to earth like a rock, where he crashed down into the middle of the city center in the midst of rush hour traffic, leaving behind a six foot-deep, ten feet wide crater upon impact with the pavement, thankfully, no one was killed.

Landing nearby, Jordan had to be impressed as Gray quickly staggered out of the crater

“Wow, you really built that thing to last, didn’t you?” she commented

“Yeah,” Jaime panted out “I’m kinda starting to regret that now” she added as Gray charged towards them, raising an arm, a missile sliding out of the gauntlet to fire at them, the missile arced wildly in the air, striking a nearby building. Grunting, Jaime launched herself forward, the new, Martian anti-gravity thrusters in her suit’s boots made flying a hell of a lot easier, as she and Jordan slammed into him, managing to knock Gray off balance before he grabbed a fistful of Jordan’s cape and slammed her into the pavement, pinning her there under his boot and his grabbed Jaime in a bear hug and started _squeezing_.

“ _Exterior pressure now exceeding maximum tolerance_ ” the suit announced as Jaime could hear it start to creak and groan. Even alien metal had its limits

“Deploy flares!” she gasped out

“ _Deploying flares_ ” at the suit’s waist, dozens of small, golf ball-sized fares suddenly streaked out, many of them exploding in Gray’s face. Yelling in pain, he let go of Jaime and staggered back, allowing Jordan to quickly flow to her feet. Standing up herself, Jaime joined Jordan as they marched towards Gray, who was struggling to get to his feet

“Right here, right now,” Jordan began “this is where your story _ends_ ” she proclaimed

“Maybe,” he panted out “but I’m taking you bitches with me!” he suddenly threw out his hands, two baseball-sized blasts of yellow energy struck the two women, knocking them off their feet. For a moment they both lay there, stunned as Gray marched towards them

“Hey!” Gray turned at the shout, grunting as a lug wrench suddenly flew through the air to hit him in the head. Grimacing, he watched as a quickly-growing mob of people began hurling anything they could find at him, bits of trash, bricks, anything they could pick up and throw, while a smaller group quickly planted itself in between him and the two women. Ignoring the crowd on the sidewalk, Gray glowered at the small clump of people preventing him from getting to Jordan and Jaime

“Get out of my way” he snarled

“You want ‘em?” a large man wearing a construction worker’s uniform asked “buddy, you’re gonna have to go through us to get ‘em”

“You pick on Ultrawoman, you pick on _all of us_ ” a woman proclaimed, earning an enthusiastic agreement from the rest

“You’re wrong, Gray,” Jordan coughed out as she staggered to her feet “people may not _need_ aces, they may not _need_ an ‘alien in a cape’ to come and rescue them, but they _want_ them,” she gently eased past the crowd, giving the construction worker a friendly pat on the shoulder in thanks “they want something to aspire to,” she continued “sure, they’ll stumble, they’ll fall, they’ll make mistakes. But no one’s perfect. Not even me”

“Big talk coming from the alien,” Gray sneered “what do you know about people? You’re not even _human_ ” he scoffed

“And you’re unobservant,” Jordan countered, she smirked “tell me, where’s your ex-wife?”

Gray gasped as Jaime suddenly leapt at him from behind, plunging a blue, crystalline blade at his chest

“All yours!” she called out as Gray knocked her aside, gasping in shock as he watched as the blade seemed to melt into the suit; a shimmering wave of light suddenly enveloped the suit, following a crisscrossing grid-like pattern before dissipating

“Is that all you got?” Gray spat, he raised an arm, swinging it down at Jordan’s head, only for her to easy catch his wrist in her hand

Her _bare_ hand. Gray watched with a growing sense of shock and horror as no blisters appeared on her skin, she didn’t struggle to breathe, and most significantly, she didn’t lose her strength

“The dark matter…” Gray gasped out

“…just been neutralized,” Jaime grinned “and that includes your nifty little power source too”

Gray gasped as Jordan suddenly lifted him up by his arm and then hurled him down the street like a bowling ball, the suit’s left leg, right forearm, and part of the helmet breaking off as he tumbled. Staggering to his feet, he armed what remained of his weapons and fired, another, weaker, ball of yellow energy streaked out of the remaining gauntlet, but Jordan quickly deflected it with her cape, it ricocheted off the alien fabric to strike a nearby lamppost, causing it weaken and start to fall

“I got it!” Jaime shot up and quickly caught the falling lamppost. Firing off a second blast, Gray watched as Jordan deflected that one was well, flying towards him like a bat out of hell. The next set of blasts was far too weak to do anything aside from make her twitch. Panting for breath, Gray turned and started to run, gasping as Jordan suddenly landed in front of him

“Going so soon?” she asked “we were just getting started”

Gray swung out his still-armored fist, which she easily caught, digging her fingers into the metal; she easily tore it off his arm, casting it aside as he staggered back

“ _ **WHY DON’T YOU JUST FUCKING DIE?!?!?!?**_ ” he screamed as she drew back a fist and punched in him the chest, the remaining portion of the armor literally _shattering_ under the blow as Gray, now clad only in a t-shirt and boxer shorts, flew back about ten feet to land on the pavement. Starting to sit up, he gasped as Jordan planted her boot on his chest, forcing him back down

“Fight’s over, son” she proclaimed

“Let’s hear it for Ultrawoman!” Jaime cheered as two BHPD officers came over and unceremoniously dragged Gray out from under Jordan’s boot

“No, no!” he twisted and struggled in the two cop’s grips “I’M THE HERO!!” he roared “I’M THE ONE YOU SHOULD BE CHEERING FOR!! NOT HER! ME! ME!!”

“Get him out of here!” Anna Markowitz ordered. As Gray was hauled away, still screaming defiantly, she turned to Jordan and held out a hand “welcome back” she said as they shook hands

“It’s good to _be_ back” Jordan replied

“Who’s your cute friend?” Anna asked, nodding towards Jaime, who was trying to fend off a crowd of admirers

“Don’t know yet,” Jordan shrugged “no one’s picked a name yet”

“Hmm, they will” Anna assured her

“Just hope it’s better than ‘Ultrawoman’.” Jordan smirked as Anna’s radio crackled to life

“ _All units, armed robbery in progress, First National Bank. Suspects are armed and dangerous_ ”

“Looks like that’s your cue” Anna commented, Jordan smirked

“Looks like” she agreed, grinning she suddenly took off with a bang…


	18. Aftershocks

******

**Blue Harbor General Hospital**

Suzy Corrigan sighed as she guzzled more of her crap coffee, smiling at the news reports about Ultrawoman scrolled by on her tablet, almost immediately after stopping a bank robbery, she had to contend with a high-speed chase, and a fire.

Suzy bit back a yawn. It was late, she should probably go home, she figured. She frowned and felt herself starting to drool as the heavenly scent of steamed rice, chow mien, and other goodies from that Chinese place on Market Street. She was just about to start begging when a hand set the brimming, still-steaming bag down on the counter

“Not exactly a five-star dinner, I know,” Jordan’s voice said softly “but, it’s the best I could do on short notice”

For a moment, Suzy simply stared, still finding it hard to believe that the woman standing in front of her, dressed in a white lab coat, black slacks, gray t-shirt, and loafers, with her long dark curls tied back in a messy ponytail, and bright blue eyes hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses was the same alien woman who had taken out the Nazis

“You’re all right,” Suzy finally heard herself say “I mean, you feel all right? No side effects from that stabbing?”

“I’m fine, Suzy,” Jordan smiled as she pulled a chair over and sat down next to her “I’m still a little woozy from that blast he shot me with, but I’m recharging”

“I just…,” Suzy shook her head “I mean, seeing you on that gurney in that suit was one thing, but…seeing you fight, your powers, that’s…”

“Overwhelming, I know,” Jordan nodded “a lot of people can’t handle it,” she explained “what I can do, what I _am_. I really hope that you’re not one of them, Suzy”

“No,” Suzy shook her head “I’m not. It’s going to take a while for it to fully sink in, but…I can handle it”

Jordan grinned “Good,” she opened the bag of takeout “well, come on, eat, before it gets cold”

Suzy grinned as she happily dug into the bag “So, did you guys date on Mars?” she asked as she dug into the mushu pork

“More or less,” Jordan nodded as she dug into the kung pao combo “our version was more formal, more ritualized, but the basic principle was the same”

Suzy frowned “Can I ask you a question?” Jordan nodded “why…I mean…what happened? Why are you the last one left?”

Jordan paused mid-chew, something dark and haunted in her eyes as she contemplated her answer

“There was a war,” she began, her voice frighteningly hollow “and we lost”

“I’m sorry,” Suzy felt so lousy hearing those words come out of her mouth. But what else could she say? What did you say to someone who lost _everything?_ Their family? Their people? Their entire _planet?_ “are…I mean, maybe some of your people survived,” she offered “I mean, its easy to lose track of people during a…”

Jordan shook her head “No, I’m all that’s left, if anyone else survived, I’d know,” she tapped her temple “I’d _feel_ it. In here. It feels like there’s no one left. Our song has ended. My planet’s northing more than a crypt, a mausoleum to fallen warriors long dead”

Suzy frowned and awkwardly reached out and took Jordan’s hand “At least…you’ve got us ‘petty’ Humans and our ‘petty little gender roles’.” she teased

Jordan chuckled “That’s right,” she grinned “and I’m going to make sure that you all stay that way” she vowed...

******

**Blue Harbor Police Department**

“Sergeant Markowitz?”

Anna Markowitz turned, finding the police commissioner standing behind her

“Oh, Commissioner Banks, sir,” she shook hands with the man “sorry, I didn’t see you there” she apologized, suddenly feeling embarrassed to being meeting the Commissioner while coming out of the gym

“That’s fine,” he dismissed “how’s the arm?” he asked, nodding towards her arm, still encased in a cast

“Oh, doing better, sir, thank you”

“Good,” the Commissioner nodded “I heard you went up against Captain Dynamic singlehandedly when he attacked Harbor Square”

Anna blushed “Well…it wasn’t exactly the smartest move of my career, sir” she admitted

“But still, you did, and that’s what matters,” Commissioner Banks nodded “I’m actually here to talk about your position here in the Department” he began

“My position, sir?” Anna echoed, were they going to fire her? Demote her? And if so, for what?

“Don’t worry,” Banks chuckled “your job’s quite safe, Sergeant” he assured her

Anna let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding

“You see,” Banks began “ever since Ultrawoman first showed up fifty-four years ago and made Blue Harbor her home, the city’s been concerned about how to contain all the…the ‘weirdness’ she attracts,” he explained “now, originally, there wasn’t really anything we could do, but in the wake of Captain Dynamic’s crimes, the federal government is prepared to give us a grant to use to fund a special taskforce to specifically handle things like this, and I’d like you to head it up, Sergeant”

Anna felt her throat close up and her heart do a flip “Me, sir?” she croaked out

“Yes, you,” Banks nodded “you’ve got an impeccable record, fifteen years on the force, and ten years in SWAT. But more to the point, you’ve got _guts_ , guts to face down an ace and tell ‘em to ‘fuck off’. You don’t treat ‘em like gods, like most people,” he smiled “it won’t be easy, Sergeant, I won’t lie. Hell, half the time, it may not even be _sane_ , but you’ve got a chance to do some real _good_ here, Markowitz. So, what do you say?”

Anna took a breath, mentally counted to ten, and then said “Sign me up, sir”

Banks chuckled as he held out his hand again “In that case, welcome to the ‘Special Crimes Unit’, _Captain_ Markowitz…”

******

**Kent Island**

The next day found Jaime Olsen pouring cereal into a bowl for Katie, the news playing on the TV in the background

“ _….better known as ‘Captain Dynamic’, Geoffrey Gray is expected to face life in prison or possibly even the death sentience for his crimes, which include, among others, terrorist charges…_ ” the reporter was saying, and Jaime was eternally grateful that Gray was _not_ Katie’s father. Although too young to really remember her father before he’d been killed in a car crash, Katie had never liked Gray when Jaime and he had been married, Gray had never been abusive to either of them, but he was definitely…distant, and now, Jaime knew why.

She felt her stomach twist at the thought that he had married her for her then-high paying job at King Technologies, and then, once she’d been fired—and now she suspected that he’d had a hand in that—had manipulated her into giving him access to the suit

“Mom?”

Jaime blinked at Katie’s voice, realizing that she’d been staring off into space. Shaking herself off, she grabbed the milk and poured it over the cereal

“There you go, sweetie” and as she watched Katie eat she knew that she couldn’t just put the suit back into storage. She had to keep going, not only to fulfill her dream of being an ace, but to make sure that someone like Gray could never hurt anyone else ever again

She looked up at a gasp from Katie, blinking in surprise at the image of Jordan landing in her backyard in full armor. Suddenly feeling a bundle of nerves bubble up inside, she watched as Jordan lightly knocked on the sliding glass door. Jumping at the quiet sound, she shuffled over on numb, tingly legs and opened the door

“Mind if I come in?” Jordan asked

“No, sure” Jaime felt herself get a little lightheaded as Jordan walked in

“Hi!” Katie hurried over to Jordan with a giggle, happily wrapping her arms around Jordan’s legs

“Hi, Katie,” Jordan smiled, crouching down to her level. She reached behind her back, under the cape, and pulled out something “look what I got” she grinned as she held up a small teddy bear.

Katie’s eyes grew as wide as saucers “For me?” she asked

“Yep” Jordan nodded. Katie let out an ecstatic squeal and snatched it out of Jordan’s hand, hugging it tightly to her chest

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” still grinning madly, Katie dashed off into the depths of the house to, presumably, go play with her new toy. Chuckling, Jordan straightened and turned back to Jaime

“I didn’t know what she liked, so I just went to easiest answer,” she shrugged “figured every kid likes teddy bears”

Jaime nodded slowly “You’re here to take back the suit aren’t you?” she asked

“No,” Jordan shook her head “and I’m not going to try and stop you from becoming an ace either,” she explained “it’s your life, your choice, Jaime”

“I can’t stop,” Jaime shook her head “Gray was able to do all of that because of _me_ , it was _my_ suit, my design. I can’t…,” she shook her head “I can’t let that happen again”

“Just because careful,” Jordan warned “guilt and remorse can often lead you to places that you don’t want to go” she explained, clearly thinking about her own choices

“Where was it for you?” Jaime wondered

“For me, it was medical school,” Jordan chuckled “if you are going to continue being an ace, I have only one condition”

“What?”

Jordan smirked “Let me be your mentor…”

******

Jill Ellis frowned as she stopped a red light. With the battle between Ultrawoman Captain Dynamic having raged across most of the city’s main thoroughfare, Jill, and dozens of other motorists, were forced to take the side streets to get work. But, right now Jill actually preferred to long commute; it gave her time to think. She hadn’t written an article in a long time, but with Ultrawoman’s return she needed to do her aunt justice. She had already sent part of her article off to the printers, but the interview with Ultrawoman herself would be the cherry on top.

As the light turned green, and Jill stepped on the gas, she wondered if Jordan had forgotten, Jill wouldn’t blame her, after all getting stabbed and taking out a rogue ace all in two days time would make anyone a tad forgetful

“Jill?”

Jill frowned as she looked around the empty car

“Jordan?” she asked

“That’s me,” Jordan replied “do you still want to do that interview?” she asked

“Well, yeah, of course,” Jill frowned “wait…where are you?”

“I…uh, hold on, things are going to get a little bumpy”

Jill suddenly gasped as the car jerked once, watching as the other cars started to get smaller. No, not smaller, farther away

“You’ve got to be kidding me” Jill gasped as she realized that Jordan was now _carrying_ her car into the air

“Well, we can’t exactly do this at a Starbucks, now can we?” Jordan laughed “just keep you hands in your lap and enjoy the ride…”

******

**Washington, D.C.  
The Capitol Building, Offices of the Committee on Ace Affairs and Activities**

Senator Josiah Brandt scowled as he picked up his copy of _USA Today_ , his scowl deepening as he read the headline.

**’ULTRAWOMAN STOPS ROGUE ACE, SAVES CITY’**

The story went on to recap the Martian’s sudden reappearance after a fifty-four year absence, and speculated on where she had gone and what she had been doing, There was no mention of her treasonous activities in Cuba back in 1963, or of her failure to prevent Kennedy from being shot, and certainly no mention of all the property damage she and her new partner--who the _Blue Harbor Tribune_ had named 'Ricochet' apparently--had incurred in stopping Geoff Gray/Captain Dynamic, which, since it was caused by a pair of aces, his committee would have to pay for it

“Impressive, isn’t it, sir?” his secretary commented as she set his itinerary down on the desk

“What is?” Brandt asked

“Ultrawoman coming back,” she exclaimed “I think it’s _wonderful_ ” she sighed

“Yeah,” Brandt grunted out as he took a sip of coffee “real wonderful,” too engrossed in fuming over the article, he didn’t notice her perturbed expression, nor did he notice her stalk out of the office with a slight stomp in her step. Turning the page, he looked up as he head the door open again “did you forget something, Ilene?” he asked. When no answer came back, he lowered his paper, jerking back in surprise at the man standing in front of him.

The man was old, probably in his fifties or sixties, dressed in a neat, plain grey suit; he leaned against an equally plain cane, while a hat rested in one hand. He was balding with a heavy beard. In all he looked rather ‘grandfatherly’, Brandt could easily envision him balancing a grandchild on his knee, regaling them with fantastic stories, and for all Brandt knew that’s just what the man did in his spare time when he wasn’t appearing in people’s offices without permission

“Crenshaw,” Brandt panted out, his heart racing in his chest “what are you doing here? What do you want?” he demanded

“I’m here for your opinion,” Crenshaw replied as he sat down, his voice was deep and rich, implying that he had had a very good education. He gestured to the paper “well?” he asked

“It’s repulsive,” Brandt spat “the whole thing. When you came to me, I didn’t think that you were going to be backing a _criminal_ ”

“You _did_ say that you wanted the Martian ‘removed’ didn’t you?” Crenshaw commented “by ‘any means necessary’, if I recall”

“I didn’t say that you should have hired a criminal!” Brandt hissed, ever mindful of eavesdropping “besides,” he added “your boy failed, Gray didn’t kill her”

“Mr. Gray wasn’t meant to kill her,” Crenshaw replied “in fact, he’s done his job beautifully, just as we intended”

“Oh really?” Brandt waved the paper for emphasis “he’s been arrested, he’s probably spilling his guts about you people to the cops right now!”

“Calm down, Senator,” Crenshaw sighed “I can assure you that Mr. Gray knows nothing about us. Or you”

“How can you be so sure?” Brandt demanded “who knows what dirt he’s dug up!”

Crenshaw leaned forward, a dangerous glint in his eyes

“I’m sure” he said simply…


	19. Epilouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! The final chapter! Enjoy! :=)

******

**Arlington National Cemetery  
**Arlington, Virginia** **

****

Jordan softly landed on the grass. The area was quiet, as cemeteries naturally were. The air was cool, a gentle braze caused her cape to rustle, a few people nearby--presumably a family visiting a departed loved one—noticeably gasped as she passed by.

Nodding at them in quiet acknowledgment, Jordan softly crossed onto the path, quietly winding her way down the path towards the gravesite, pausing at the gravestone

John Fitzgerald Kennedy  
May 29 1917—January 22 1964

“Hi, Jack,” she said softly as she lay the single rose in her hand down “I’m back,” she said simply, she chuckled “just like you swore I would,” she added, she sighed “it’s a new world out there, Jack. People don’t really want aces around anymore; they think we’re...menaces, vigilantes, nuts in costumes, take your pick. The new guy in the White House, oh, you’d hate him, I’m sure,” she chuckled as she glanced at the small burning flame in front of her “I’m sure he hates my guts,” she added “I’m sure that he hates that I’m an alien, hates that I’m a woman, hates that I wasn’t born here,” she paused “he’s a very hate-filled man it seems,” she mused

“Its not like the old days anymore," she continued "not like during the war, when I fished you off that island in the Pacific—I still laugh whenever I hear about that damn coconut, you know—not like when your were in office, when we had Camelot. But I remember something you said once, when you talked about going the Moon… _’We chose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard’_ ,” she sighed as she stood up “well, Jack, guess what? This is my ‘hard thing’, coming back, making the world believe in heroes again,” she smiled as she straightened up, feeling a weight ease from her shoulders

“I know I can do it again,” she said at last “I just have to have faith. Faith in myself, in those around me, faith in people,” she smiled “thanks for everything, Jack”

With that she suddenly shot up into the sky.

She was J’or’Da’an, Warmaster of Armus. Jordan Ellis, medical doctor and healer of the sick. Ultrawoman, Earth’s greatest protector. She was all of these things. But above all, she was…

A hero…

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! My first, completed, original work! I want to thank everyone who commented on this, offering support, encouragement, and even plot ideas, and I hope you'll all stay with me for the next installment of Ultrawoman, and for my Supergirl fics. Thanks again
> 
> \--AXEe :=)


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